UC-NRLF 


7D    Sfih 


OF  THE 

UNIVERSITY4 

OF 


LA; 


THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE; 


OR,    THE 


NEW  DISPENSATION  FOR  FARMERS. 


EXPERIENCE   WITH  "ENSILAGE"  AT  "WINNING  FARM." 


HOW  TO  PRODUCE  MILK  FOR  ONE  CENT  PER  QUART;   BUTTER 

FOR  TEN   CENTS   PER   POUND;    BEEF   FOR   FOUR  CENTS/ 

PER  POUND ;  MUTTON  FOR  NOTHING  IF  WOOL 

IS  THIRTY   CENTS   PER   POUND. 


BY   JOHN    M.    BAILEY, 

i^ 

PROPRIETOR  OF  "WINNING  FARM,"  BILLERICA,  MASSACHUSETTS,  AND  VIRGINIA  STOCK 
FARM,  SUSSEX  COUNTY,  VIRGINIA. 


FARMERS1    EDITION. 


"  I  beg  to  express  my  gratitude  to  you  for  the  noble  efforts  you  are  making  in  behalf  of  the  cause  of 
agricultural  science.  Ensilage  is  to  prove  a  great  blessing  to  the  world.  ...  I  am  very  glad  that  you 
have  given  us  the  results  of  your  experience  in  so  neat  a  volume,  and  in  so  clear  a  manner,  that  he  who 
runs  may  read."  —  MARSHALL  P.  WILDER. 

"  A  work  of  incalculable  importance  to  American  farmers."  —  LEVI  STOCKBRIDGE,  President 
Massachusetts  Agricultural  College. 

"  Your  '  Book  of  Ensilage '  is  received  and  read  through.  You  seem  to  have  covered  the  whole 
subject  and  lapped  around  it,  —  Alpha  and  Omega.  It  will  be  greedily  read."  —  J.  B.  BROWN,  Trans- 
lator of  M.  Goffart's  "Ensilage  of  Maize." 


NEW   YORK: 
ORANGE    JUDD     COMPANY, 

245  BROADWAY. 
1881. 


COPYRIGHT,  1880, 
BY    JOHN    M.    BAILEY. 


Prett  of  Mills,  Knight  Sf  Co.,  Boston. 


INTRODUCTION  TO  NEW  EDITION. 


WHEN,  in  the  winter  of  1879-80,  I  took  the  liberty  of  dedi- 
cating the  first  edition  of  the  "  Book  of  Ensilage "  to  the 
"  farmers  of  America,"  the  system  of  ensilage,  so  far  as  related 
to  its  adaptation  to  America  and  to  American  wants  and 
methods,  was  in  that  state  of  uncertainty  that  no  one  could 
be  found  who  dared  to  thoroughly  try  it,  partly  on  account  of 
the  expense  involved,  and  perhaps  more  through  an  unwilling- 
ness to  run  the  risk  of  failure,  and  consequently  be  compelled 
to  bear  the  ridicule  of  those  who  stand  ready,  whenever  a  pro- 
gressive man  takes  a  step  in  advance  of  the  old  methods, — in 
hopes  that  something  better  may  be  found  which  shall  serve  to 
elevate  humanity,  or  lessen  the  toils  and  improve  the  condition 
of  his  fellow-man,  —  to  say,  until  complete  success  silences  them, 
"  I  told  you  so."  Could  these  doubters,  these  dispensers  of 
ridicule,  always  have  had  their  own  way,  and  prevented  pro- 
gressive men  from  trying,  every  farmer  would  to  this  day  have 
carried  his  grist  to  mill  slung  across  his  horse's  back,  with  a 
stone  in  one  end  of  the  bag  to  balance  the  weight  of  the 
corn  in  the  other. 

The  success  of  my  experiments  was,  however,  so  complete, 
the  results  were  so  startling,  but  so  conclusive,  that  thousands 
of  the  most  intelligent  and  progressive  farmers  and  business- 
men with  a  taste  for  agriculture,  came  to  "Winning  Farm," 
and  examined  the  practical  workings  of  the  system  of  ensilage 
for  themselves.  So  convincing  was  the  exhibition  of  what  they 
saw,  that  I  can  truly  say  that  there  is  to-day,  not  a  State  in  the 
Union  which  has  not  a  silo  constructed  in  all  material  points 
after  the  "Winning  Silos."  Nebraska — one  of  the  last  we 


4  INTRODUCTION  TO  NEW  EDITION. 

would  suppose  to  economize  forage  —  can  boast  of  having 
the  largest  silos  in  America,  if  not  in  the  world.  Dr.  Eager 
of  Middletown,  Orange  County,  N.Y.,  visited  "Winning  Farm" 
early  in  the  winter  of  1879-80,  and  has  constructed  at  West 
Point,  Neb.,  four  silos,  each  60  feet  long,  20  feet  deep,  and  16 
feet  wide,  — capacity  about  2,000  tons.  California  has  its  silos, 
as  have  Florida  and  Texas.  In  New  England  and  the  Middle 
States,  hundreds  have  been  built.  At  this  date  (Dec.  I,  1880)  I 
am  in  receipt  of  many  letters  daily,  announcing  the  openings  of 
silos.  In  every  case  the  success  is  absolute.  Hundreds  of  suc- 
cessful experiments  in  1880  from  the  one  seed  sown  by  me  in 
1879!  No  more  doubting.  Every  farmer  is  considering  how 
he  shall  build,  and  where  he  shall  locate,  his  silos.  I  do  not 
claim  the  credit  of  originating  the  system  of  ensilage.  No 
man  can  claim  that ;  for  it  is  older  than  the  Christian  era.  We 
are  all  under  great  obligations  to  M.  Auguste  Goffart,  a  dis- 
tinguished'member  of  the  "Central  Agricultural  Society  of 
France,"  and  "Chevalier  de  la  Legion  d'Honneur,"  who  spent 
years  in  patient  experimentation  before  success  crowned  his 
efforts.  I  have  carefully  tested  it,  and  by  my  success  have 
made  "  Silo  "  and  "  Ensilage  "  household  words  in  every  part  of 
the  land.  One  of  the  earliest  Latin  writers  speaks  of  subter- 
ranean vaults  (silos),  wherein  the  ancient  Romans  used  to  pre- 
serve fruits,  grain,  and  forage  in  its  green  state,  in  very  much 
the  same  manner  as  is  practised  at  this  time  by  Mr.  O.  B.  Potter 
of  Sing  Sing,  N.Y.  The  Mexicans  have  practised  the  same  pro- 
cess for  centuries,  and  to  this  day  preserve  the  bulk  of  their 
forage  in  the  same  manner.  Probably  the  idea  was  carried  to 
Mexico  by  some  learned  Spanish  monk  or  priest  of  a  practical 
and  agricultural  turn  of  mind,  who,  filled  with  a  religious  zeal, 
accompanied  the  Spanish  adventurers  in  their  crusades,  which 
resulted  in  the  subjugation  of  Mexico,  and  nearly  all  the 
American  continent  south  of  it. 

If  the  system  was  thus  introduced  into  America,  whether  he 
was  successful  or  not  in  teaching  the  heathen  how  to  save  their 
souls,  he  certainly  taught  them  how  to  save  their  forage. 

Upon  the  discovery  of  America,  the  Indians  in  the  southern 
part  of  our  country  preserved  their  stores  of  maize  in  pits  in 


INTRODUCTION  TO  NEW  EDITION.  5 

the  ground.  As  the  earth  is  the  common  mother  of  us  all,  so 
is  she  the  great  preserver  of  all  things.  The  first  idea  which 
occurred  to  the  primitive  man  when  he  wished  to  preserve  any 
thing  valuable  or  which"  he  prized  was,  without  doubt,  to  bury 
it  in  the  earth. 

So  that,  after  all,  the  system  of  ensilage  is  not  so  much  a 
new  dispensation  as  one  of  the  "  lost  arts,"  which,  after  the 
lapse  of  centuries,  has  just  been  re-discovered,  improved, 
adapted  to  the  requirements  of  modern  civilization,  and  which 
is  destined  to  be  the  means  of  producing  a  revolution  in  our 
agricultural  methods.  Allow  me,  in  this  introduction  to  this 
NEW  EDITION,  to  express  my  cordial  thanks  and  appreciation 
of  the  by  far  too-flattering  notices  which  "  The  Book  of  Ensi- 
lage "  has  received  from  the  press.  Editors  and  reviewers 
have,  with  scarce  an  exception,  spoken  only  to  commend, 
touching  but  lightly,  if  at  all,  upon  the  faults  of  style  and 
diction,  which  are  many,  realizing  that  it  was  a  book  written 
by  a  working  farmer  in  order  that  that  which  was  hard  and 
perplexing  for  him  to  accomplish,  with  none  to  advise  or  in- 
struct, might  be  made  plain  and  easy  to  his  fellow-farmers. 
Also  to  the  many  gentlemen,  eminent  in  all  the  walks  of  life, 
for  the  kind  and  grateful  letters  in  which  they  have  shown  their 
appreciation  of  my  humble  efforts  to  improve  the  condition  of 
the  farmers  of  America,  upon  whose  prosperity  depends  not 
only  the  well-being  of  all  other  classes,  but  the  very  stability 
and  permanence  of  our  democratic  institutions. 

I  am  grateful  also  for  the  success,  I  see  by  accounts  in  the 
papers,  which  has  attended  the  efforts  of  so  large  a  number  of 
those,  who,  in  the  early  stages  of  their  experiment,  solicited  and 
received  all  the  help  my  experience  could  render.  The  possibili- 
ties of  ensilage  can  hardly  be  over-estimated.  When  I  said  in 
my  first  edition  that  40  to  75  tons  of  green-corn  fodder  could  be 
raised  upon  an  acre  of  land,  provided  proper  seed  was  used,  suffi- 
cient manure  was  applied,  and  the  right  kind  of  cultivation  be- 
stowed, many  doubted,  and  some  ridiculed  the  statement ;  "  but 
he  laughs  best  who  laughs  last ; "  and  I  am  happy  to  be  able  to 
state  that  one  of  my  neighbors  has  raised  corn-fodder  this  year 
weighing  at  the  rate  of  72  tons  to  the  acre,  and  that  his  whole 


6  INTRODUCTION  TO  NEW  EDITION. 

crop  averaged  over  50  tons  to  the  acre.  Some  of  the  stalks 
were  19  feet  6  inches  tall,  and  weighed  12  pounds  each.  I  have 
not  done  as  well ;  but  it  should  be  borne  in  mind  that  I  am 
experimenting  upon  an  old,  run-down  farm,  which,  in  1877, 
could  keep  but  6  cows  and  one  horse.  I  have  now  in  my  barn 
(Dec.  I,  1880)  sufficient  hay  to  keep  6  horses,  and  forage  in  my 
silos  ample  for  the  sustenance  of  40  head  of  horned  cattle, 
nearly  200  sheep,  and  60  swine.  I  may  state  also,  that,  during 
the  past  three  years,  I  have  bought  no  hay  or  manure.  This 
much  ensilage  has  benefited  me ;  and  there  is  no  reason  .why  it 
should  not  benefit  every  farmer  in  like  manner.  That  it  may 
do  so,  is  the  earnest  wish  of  my  heart. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 
DISADVANTAGES  OF  THE  SYSTEM  OF  CURING  FORAGE  BY  DESICCATION     .      n 

CHAPTER   II. 
DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  "WINNING- FARM"  SILOS 16 

CHAPTER   III. 
FILLING  THE  SILO 24 

CHAPTER   IV. 
OPENING  OF  THE  SILO 28 

CHAPTER  V. 
COST  OF  KEEPING  STOCK  UPON  ENSILAGE .       .      34 

CHAPTER  VI. 

TIME  WHEN  FORAGE  PLANTS  CONTAIN  THE  GREATEST  AMOUNT  OF  NU- 
TRITIVE VALUE 39 

CHAPTER  VII. 
ANALYSIS  AND  COMPOSITION  OF  CORN  WHEN  CUT  IN  ITS  GREEN  STATE  .      42 

CHAPTER  VIII. 
EXPLANATIONS  WHY  ENSILAGE  MUST  KEEP 54 

CHAPTER   IX. 
ENSILAGE  ADAPTED  TO  WARM  AS  WELL  AS  COLD  CLIMATES       •       .       .    '  59 

CHAPTER  X. 
A  NEW  DISCOVERY 66 

CHAPTER  XL 
FOOD  INGREDIENTS.  —  CHEMICAL  TERMS  EXPLAINED 69 

CHAPTER  XII. 
CAPACITY  OF  SILOS 71 

CHAPTER  XIII. 
ENSILAGE  IN  THE  GREAT  DAIRY  DISTRICTS   .......      74 

CHAPTER  XIV. 

HISTORY  OF  MAIZE,  OR  INDIAN  CORN 77 

7 


g  CONTENTS. 

* 

THE    IDLENOT    PAPERS. 


CHAPTER  XV. 

COST  OF  PRODUCING  MlLK   ONE  CENT  A   QUART,   OF    BUTTER  TEN    CENTS 

PER  POUND,  AND  OF  PORK  THREE  CENTS  PER  POUND,  BEEF  FOR 
FOUR  CENTS  A  POUND,  AND  MUTTON  FOR  NOTHING,  IF  WOOL  is 
THIRTY  CENTS  A  POUND 81 

CHAPTER  XVI. 
SECOND  IDLENOT  PAPER 90 

CHAPTER  XVII. 
ANALYSIS  OF  ENSILAGE  FROM  THE  "WINNING-FARM"  SILOS      ...     97 

CHAPTER  XVIII. 

HOW  TO  PRESERVE  GREEN  CORN  FOR  THE  TABLE IOO 

CHAPTER  XIX. 
MY  EXPERIENCE  WITH  SUGAR-BEETS.  —  COST  OF  RAISING  ONE-FOURTH 

OF  AN  ACRE,  AND  THE  YIELD IOI 

CHAPTER  XX. 
SUMMARY 104 

CHAPTER  XXI. 
EFFECT  OF  ALCOHOLIC  FERMENTATION  IN  ENSILAGE  UPON  "GILT-EDGED 

BUTTER" 106 

CHAPTER  XXII. 
MODEL  DAIRY  STABLE  ADAPTED  TO  THE  SYSTEM  OF  ENSILAGE  .       .       .    in 

CHAPTER  XXIII. 
CONCLUSION  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE       .       .       .       .       .       .       .119 

CHAPTER  XXIV. 
LATEST  RESULTS  IN  PRESERVING  AND  FEEDING  ENSILAGE  .       .       .       .122 

CHAPTER  XXV. 
FATTENING  STEERS,  FEEDING  SWINE,  METHOD  OF  FEEDING,  WARM  WATER 

FOR  STOCK,  ETC 128 

CHAPTER  XXVI. 
ILLUSTRATING  THE  NUTRITIVE  VALUE  OF  ENSILAGE 133 

CHAPTER  XXVII. 
CHEMISTRY  OF  THE  SILO  . .        .135 


CONTENTS.  O 

CHAPTER  XXVIII. 
How  TO  RAISE  THE  MAXIMUM  CROP  OF  FODDER  CORN      .        .       .        .138 

CHAPTER  XXIX. 
NEW  FORAGE  PLANTS  AND  NEW  USES  FOR  ENSILAGE 139 


WHAT  IS  A  SILO,  AND  WHAT  IS  ENSILAGE  ? 


This  is  what  the  farmers  want  to  know  when  the  "New 
Dispensation,  or  system  of  Ensilage"  is  presented  to  their 
attention. 

A  SILO  is  a  cistern  or  vat,  air  and  water  tight  on  the  bottom 
and  sides,  with  an  open  top,  constructed  of  masonry  or  concrete. 
It  may  be  square,  rectangular,  round  or  oval  in  shape,  with  per- 
pendicular sides,  used  to  store  in  their  green  state  forage-crops, 
such  as  corn,  sorgho,  rye,  oats,  millet,  Hungarian  grass,  clover, 
and  all  the  grasses.  This  forage  is  cut  and  taken  directly  from 
the  field,  run  through  a  cutter  which  cuts  it  into  pieces  less  than 
half  an  inch  in  length,  and  trampled  down  solidly  in  the  SILO, 
and  subjected  to  heavy  and  continuous  pressure. 

The  structure  is  the  SILO,  which  may  be  above  ground,  or 
partly  or  entirely  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  The  fodder 
preserved  in  SILOS  is  ENSILAGE. 


THE    BOOK    OF    ENSILAGE. 

ACCOUNT   OF   THE   "WINNING-FARM"   SILOS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

DISADVANTAGES    OF   THE    SYSTEM    OF    CURING    FORAGE    BY 
DESICCATION. 

THE  great  obstacle  to  raising  stock  at  a  profit  has 
always  been  the  high  cost  of  all  kinds  of  fodder  for 
winter  feeding.  Especially  has  this  been  the  case  in  the 
eastern  part  of  the  New  England  and  Middle  States. 
The  lowest  cost  at  which  a  cow  can  be  kept  in  Eastern 
Massachusetts  is  twenty-two  cents  per  day  for  feed,  allow- 
ing nothing  for  care  except  the  manure.  This  makes 
the  yearly  cost  of  keeping  a  cow  to  be  at  least  $80.30. 
Many  of  my  fellow  farmers  who  raise  milk  inform  me 
that  it  costs  them  twenty-six  cents  per  day,  which  raises 
the  cost  to  $94.90  per  year.  To  meet  the  lowest  sum 
$80.30,  at  the  highest  price  at  which  milk  has  been  sold 
in  Eastern  Massachusetts  during  the  past  few  years,  viz., 
twenty-five  cents  per  can  of  8|-  quarts,  each  cow  would 
have  to  yield  321^  cans,  or  2,730  quarts,  —  about  5,500 
pounds. 

"  It  goes  without  saying,"  that  there  is  not  one  herd 
of  cows  in  fifty  which  averages  5,000  pounds  of  milk  per 


12  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

head  yearly.  While  this  is  so,  that  ninety-eight  per  cent 
of  the  cows  yield  less  value  in  milk  than  it  costs  to  feed 
them,  still  as  a  choice  of  evils  farmers  are  obliged  to 
keep  them  rather  than  sell  the  provender  they  consume, 
though  it  would  bring  more  money  than  the  milk.  By 
gratuitously  incorporating  a  large  amount  of  labor  ir\to 
the  milk,  they  are  enabled  to  keep  up  the  fertility  of 
their  farms,  while  on  the  other  hand  were  they  to  sell 
their  forage  they  would  soon  impoverish  their  land. 

Paradoxical  as  it  may  seem,  the  only  way  the  majority 
of  farmers  near  our  large  cities  can  make  (?)  any  money 
is,  and  has  been,  to  sell  milk  at  less  than  it  cost  to  pro- 
duce it !  This  is  a  very  unsatisfactory  condition  of 
affairs. 

For  several  years  I  have  been  anxiously  looking  for 
science  to  show  us  —  agricultural  laymen  —  the  way 
out  of  the  wilderness  into  the  promised  land,  where 
crops  could  be  grown  at  a  profit  without  the  farmer's 
labor  being  thrown  in  as  straw  —  quantum  sufficit  —  is 
when  figuring  up  the  cost  of  wintering  stock  in  the 
West. 

Analyses  of  the  soil  at  one  time  promised  to  bring 
about  a  great  change  in  agriculture,  by  showing  us  just 
what  the  soil  lacked  to  produce  bountiful  crops  of  what- 
ever we  wish  to  raise.  This  proved  an  ignis  fatuus,  — 
for  nearly  all  soils  were  found  to  contain  when  chemically 
analyzed  every  thing  required  to  produce  scores  of 
bountiful  crops  of  almost  every  thing. 

The  trouble  was,  that  while  the  elements  of  fertility 
were  there  chemically,  they  were  not  there  in  such  a 
form  as  the  growing  plant  could  avail  itself  of. 

The  next  great  panacea  was  to  analyze  the  crop  which 
it  was  proposed  to  raise,  and  apply  to  the  soil  the  various 
elements  found  in  the  crop,  principally  nitrogen,  phos- 


DISADVANTAGES  OF  CURING  BY  DESICCATION.        13 

phoric  acid,  and  potash.  The  trouble  with  this  is,  that 
no  one  can  tell  except  by  a  series  of  careful  experiments 
whether  one,  two,  or  all  three  of  these  elements  must  be 
applied  to  the  land  in  order  to  raise  a  satisfactory  crop. 
Having  ascertained  that  a  certain  crop  can  be  raised 
upon  a  certain  piece  of  land  by  applying1  one,  two,  or  all 
three  of  the  above-named  elements  of  fertility  ;  another 
set  of  equally  careful  experiments  must  be  tried  when- 
ever a  different  crop  is  attempted  upon  the  same  land, 
or  the  same  crop  upon  another  piece  of  land. 

This  necessitates  the  farmers'  trying  all  these  experi- 
ments upon  their  own  land ;  which  is  out  of  the  question, 
for  while  they  might,  they  certainly  will  not  do  it. 

Therefore  commercial  fertilizers  will  perforce  have  to 
be  applied  in  the  future  as  in  the  past,  mostly  at  random. 

I  do  not  wish  to  be  understood  as  saying  that  com- 
mercial fertilizers  are  not  valuable  and  useful  in  their 
place  ;  which  place  is  not  to  take  the  place  of  barn-cellar 
manure,  but  as  an  economical  adjunct  to  it  in  the  hill 
and  drill. 

The  chief  objection  to  depending  in  the  main  upon 
them  is,  that  in  the  majority  of  cases  the  fertilizer  costs 
more  than  the  crop  will  bring. 

No  great  agricultural  prosperity  can  come  through  the 
increased  use  of  commercial  fertilizers,  except  as  aids  to 
barnyard  manure. 

Experiments  in  England  have  demonstrated  that  the 
crop  does  not  increase  in  proportion  to  the  amount  of 
fertilizers  applied,  even  when  the  most  consummate  skill 
directs  the  operations. 

While  agriculture  has  not  been  benefited  to  the  extent 
hoped  for  by  the  processes  mentioned  above,  there  was 
one  man  who  was  patiently  experimenting,  and  endeavor- 
ing to  solve  the  problem  in  an  entirely  different  way. 


!4  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

It  has  long  been  apparent  to  every  observer,  that 
there  is  an  immense  loss  sustained  in  the  manner  in 
which  all  forage-crops  have  been  cured  from  time  im- 
memorial, viz.,  by  desiccation  or  drying.  While  it  is 
agreed  by  all  that  a  larger  proportion  of  all  vegetable 
growth  comes  from  the  atmosphere  than  from  the  soil, 
it  does  not  appear  to  have  struck  scientific  agriculturists 
that  during  the  process  of  curing  by  drying,  a  very 
large  proportion  of  the  most  valuable  elements  of  nutri- 
tion are  returned  to  the  atmosphere  from  whence  they 
came. 

"  The  cow  which  gives  us  in  summer  while  feeding  on 
green  grass  such  excellent  milk,  and  butter  of  such 
agreeable  color  and  flavor,  furnishes  us  in  the  winter,  — 
—  when  she  eats  the  same  grass  converted  into  hay,  — 
an  inferior  quality  of  milk,  and  pale,  insipid  butter. 
What  modifications  has  this  grass  undergone  in  changing 
into  hay?  These  modifications  are  numerous.  It  is 
sufficient  to  cross  a  meadow  when  the  new-mown  grass 
is  undergoing  desiccation,  to  recognize  that  it  is  losing 
an  enormous  quantity  of  its  substance  that  exhales  in 
the  air  in  agreeable  odors,  but  which,  if  retained  in  the 
plant,  would  serve  at  least  as  condiments  favoring  diges- 
tion and  assimilation.  All  stock-raisers  know  how  rap- 
idly young  stock  increases  in  weight  in  summer  upon 
green  pastures,  and  also  that  the  same  amount  of  grass 
converted  into  hay  and  judiciously  fed  in  winter  does 
not  always  prevent  them  from  shrinking,  and  seldom 
gives  any  increase. 

"The  loss  by  desiccation  in  fine  weather  under  the 
best  conditions,  added  to  that  caused  by  the  physical 
modifications  which  render  mastication  and  digestion  of 
the  hay  more  difficult  than  of  the  grass,  and  conse- 
quently assimilation  less  complete,  merits  the  most  seri- 


DISADVANTAGES  OF  CURING  BY  DESICCATION.        15 

ous  attention  on  the  part  of  those  who  are  interested  in 
agricultural  affairs. 

"  Rains,  and  even  dews,  add  immensely  to  the  dete- 
rioration inseparable  to  a  process  of  curing  by  dessica- 
tion.  What  agriculturist  has  not  seen  a  hundred  times 
his  hay,  notwithstanding  the  utmost  care,  injured  by  rain, 
deprived  of  its  richest  and  most  assimilative  elements? 
If  these  things  occur  to  the  common  fodder-crops, — 
timothy,  orchard-grass,  clover,  &c.,  —  what  would  (or 
rather,  what  does)  happen  when  the  saving  of  fodder- 
crops  of  high  growth  and  great  yield,  such  as  maize  and 
sorgho,  or  even  Hungarian  grass  or  millet,  is  attempted 
by  desiccation  ?  never  in  our  temperate  climate  could 
we  obtain  for  these  a  sufficient  desiccation  by  the  sun  " 
when  raised  on  a  large  scale.  I  have  seen  a  neighboring 
farmer  working  nearly  three  weeks  to  cure  about  an  acre 
of  millet,  and  then  it  was  very  imperfectly  preserved. 

M.  Aguste  Goffart,  whom  not  only  all  agriculturists, 
but  the  whole  world  ought  to  honor  as  it  has  no  other 
man,  commenced  his  experiments  in  preserving  fodder 
by  other  means  than  drying,  nearly  or  quite  thirty  years 
ago.  It  is  reasonable  to  suppose  that  he  met  with  fail- 
ure after  failure ;  but  not  discouraged  he  persevered ;  and 
during  the  last  four  years  has  so  improved  upon  his 
earlier  methods,  that  the  preservation  of  any  and  all 
green  crops,  with  all  their  valuable  attributes  unimpaired, 
is  no  longer  an  experiment. 

I  will  not  take  space  to  describe  M.  Goffart's  Silos  and 
methods  ;  but  would  recommend  all  those  who  wish  to 
investigate  the  French  system  to  send  to  J.  B.  Brown, 
Esq.,  No.  55  Beekman  Street,  New  York  (the  trans- 
lator of  M.  Goffart's  treatise)  for  a  copy  of  "  Ensilage 
of  Maize,"  and  study  it. 


CHAPTER  II. 

DESCRIPTION    OF   THE    "  WINNING -FARM  "    SILOS. 

I  WAITED  long  in  hopes  that  one  of  our  agricultural 
colleges  or  experimental  stations  would  take  the  initia- 
tive. 

The  following  letters  convinced  me  that  there  was  no 
use  in  waiting  for  more  half-way  experiments  to  be  tried, 
where  "  half  of  the  fodder  went  to  waste,"  and  the  bal- 
ance was  so  imperfectly  preserved  that  it  was  "  very  diffi- 
cult to  remove  the  peculiar  and  very  disagreeable  smell 
from  the  hands  after  touching  it :  "  — 

NEW  YORK,  July  26,  1879. 
JOHN  M.  BAILEY,  ESQ. 

Dear  Sir, —  .  .  .  Can  you  not  effect  a  combination,  and  build  a  Silo 
of  masonry,  and  make  a  business  of  it  this  fall  ?  I  have  not  yet  heard  of 
any  one  who  is  going  to  do  it  thoroughly.  ...  I  speak  of  combination, 
as  all  seem  to  be  afraid  to  do  it  right  on  account  of  the  expense.  I  don't 
think  any  thing  but  masonry  is  sure,  and  that  is.  ...  I  have  urged  all 
the  enterprising  and  competent  farmers  I  am  acquainted  with  to  be  the 
first  to  do  it  on  Goffart's  plan,  but  I  have  not  succeeded  as  far  as  I  now 
know. 

Yours  truly, 

J.  B.  BROWN. 

If  any  thing  was  necessary  to  convince  me  that  I  must 
depend  upon  myself,  this  letter  was  enough.  Mr.  Brown 
knew  of  Mr.  Francis  Morris's  experiments  and  their  un- 
satisfactory results;  hence  his  anxiety  that  I  should  test 

16 


DESCRIPTION  OF   THE   "WINNING-FARM"   SILOS.       17 

the  system  in  a  thorough  manner :  therefore  I  resolved 
to  brave  the  danger  of  being  "  laughed  at ; "  and  as  no 
one  could  be  induced  to  try  the  great  experiment,  and 
that  the  public  should  not  lose  the  benefit  of  a  system 
of  such  vast  importance  to  the  welfare  of  our  nation, 
and  fearing  also  that  the  grand  discovery  of  M.  Goffart's 
might  fall  into  disrepute  in  consequence  of  not  being 
tried  in  a  thorough  and  scientific  manner,  I  decided  to 
make  the  experiment. 

For  several  years  I  have  been  trying  to  find  the  way 
to  raise  profitable  crops,  or  to  turn  them  to  profitable 
account  when  raised.  I  eagerly  scanned  every  item 
which  appeared  in  the  public  press  bearing  upon  the 
process  of  preserving  forage-crops  in  their  green  state. 
All  the  plans  seemed  to  give  but  imperfect  results ; 
nevertheless,  there  seemed  to  be  value  in  the  idea. 

It  was  therefore  with  pleasure  I  saw  a  notice  of  Mr. 
Brown's  translation  of  M.  Goffart's  work  upon  "  Ensi- 
lage." I  sent  for  it.  Upon  a  careful  perusal  of  the 
work,  and  some  little  discussion  in  the  columns  of  "  The 
Country  Gentleman "  with  Mr.  Brown  upon  some  parts 
of  it,  I  became  satisfied  that  the  principle  was  right,  that 
M.  Goffart's  method  —  with  such  modifications  as  cli- 
matic differences  demand  —  faithfully  carried  out,  would 
bring  success. 

Having  resolved  to  try  the  experiment  thoroughly, 
on  the  seventeenth  day  of  July,  1879,  I  broke  ground, 
selecting  a  side  hill,  and  locating  the  Silos  so  that  the 
corner  joined  the  north-east  corner  of  my  barn  :  I  ex- 
cavated on  the  west  side  and  south  end  seven  feet  deep, 
and  put  in  a  solid  stone  wall  on  the  west  side,  44  feet 
long  and  12  feet  high.  This  was  built  of  very  heavy 
stone  and  in  the  most  substantial  manner. 

I  afterwards  graded  up  on  this  side  to  the  top  of  the 


1 8  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSfLAGE. 

wall,  making  a  level  spot  to  set  an  engine  and  Ensilage 
cutter  upon  ;  also  to  drive  upon  to  deposit  the  corn  fod- 
der as  it  came  from  the  fields  on  dump-carts.  It  took 
13  days'  work  of  a  stone-mason,  43!  days'  work  of 
laborers,  and  28^  days'  work  for  one  horse,  to  excavate 
and  build  the  stone  wall  and  foundations  for  the  Silos. 

On  the  tenth  day  of  August  I  commenced  building 
the  Silo  walls.  These  are  15  inches  thick,  built  of  con- 
crete in  the  following  manner. 

First,  3x4  joists  are  set  up  at  each  of  the  angles, 
and  also  at  intervals  of  about  eight  feet  on  each  side 
of  the  walls.  These  scantling  are  placed  18  inches 
apart,  spruce  plank  12  inches  wide  and  ij  inches  thick 
are  set  up  on  the  inside  of  the  scantling,  which  leaves 
15  inches  between  the  planks  as  the  thickness  of  the 
walls. 

We  are  now  ready  to  commence  building  the  Silo 
walls.  The  concrete  is  made  by  mixing  one  barrel  of 


: 


\JT O TT TT OS 


•t 


\o ryeis  n  J~L n/ 


<»<*.—  3  X  4  inch  scantling,  to  hold  i£  inch  plank  while  building  wall 
b  b.  —  Doors. 


DESCRIPTION  OF   THE  "WINNING-FARM"   SILOS.       19 

Newark,  Rosendale,  or  Akron  cement,  with  three  bar- 
rels of  plastering"  sand  and  four  barrels  of  clean  gravel. 
This  is  thoroughly  mixed  together  while  dry.  It  is  then 
wet  and  thoroughly  mixed  again,  making  a  very  thin 
mortar. 

About  three  inches  in  depth  of  this  mixture  is  put  in 
between  the  planks ;  then  stone  of  all  sizes  and  shapes 
are  packed  and  bedded  in  this  layer  of  concrete,  after 
which  another  layer  of  concrete  is  poured  in  on  top  of 
this  layer  of  stones,  and  the  operation  is  repeated  until 
the  space  between  the  planks  all  round  each  Silo  is 
filled  ;  then  the  planks  are  raised  about  ten  inches,  and 
the  space  filled  with  concrete  and  stones  as  before  until 
the  walls  are  at  the  desired  height.  The  best  way  is  to 
have  a  sufficient  number  of  hands  to  just  raise  the  wall 
the  width  of  the  plank  each  day.  Time  was  pressing 
with  me,  however  ;  and  I  sometimes  raised  the  plank  two 
and  three  times  in  one  day,  the  concrete  "  setting  "  so 
that  I  was  able  to  do  so  safely.  But  I  do  not  recommend 
this  haste,  as  the  walls  will  not  be  as  smooth  as  they 
would  be  if  the  cement  had  all  night  to  "  set "  in  before 
the  planks  were  raised.  A  4  X  1 2  inch  sill  was  bedded 
on  the  wall  in  the  last  layer  of  concrete.  This  sill  was 
made  of  2x12  inch  spruce  plank  nailed  together. 
Upon  these  sills  a  building  was  placed  with  posts  five 
feet  high,  the  beams  on  the  top  of  these  posts  being 
thoroughly  braced  to  the  posts,  thus  firmly  tying  the 
whole  structure  together. 

In  sections  of  the  country  where  clean  sand,  gravel, 
or  stone  is  not  easily  obtained,  Silo  walls  may  be  con- 
structed of  brick  in  the  usual  manner  of  brick  buildings. 

To  put  up  the  concrete  walls  and  bed  the  sills,  to- 
gether with  grading  the  upper  side,  where  the  cutting 
of  the  fodder  is  done,  took  of  the  foreman  28  J  days, 


20  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

work  of  laborers  149  days,  and  34  days'  work  of 
horse.  Putting  up  the  frame  to  hold  the  plank  took  two 
carpenters  two  days.  It  required  124  barrels  of  cement, 
costing-  $1.25  per  barrel  in  Lowell.  The  teaming  of  the 
cement  and  lumber  is  included  in  the  above  account  of 
time  of  horses  and  laborers.  The  cost  of  the  whole 
structure  will  of  course  vary  in  different  locations,  as  the 
cost  of  labor  and  materials  varies. 

My  Silos  (capacity  about  800,000  pounds)  cost  me 
about  $500.  In  other  words,  Silos  will  cost  about  one 
dollar  and  a  quarter  for  each  ton's  capacity.  Large  ones 
will  cost  less,  small  ones  more.  The  following  diagram 
illustrates  my  Silos. 

Silos  may  be  built  of  stone  pointed  with  cement  mor- 
tar and  plastered  on  the  inside,  or  of  brick,  or  of  con- 
crete as  mine  are.  Whichever  material  is  the  cheapest 
and  most  convenient  in  any  locality  is  the  best  to  use 
there.  Brick  will  cost  more  than  the  concrete.  Con- 
crete wall  costs  about  ten  cents  per  cubic  foot. 

As  a  general  rule,  Silos  should  be  built  rectangular  in 
form,  the  width  being  about  one-third  the  length,  and 
the  height  about  two-fifths  of  the  length,  and  if  possible 
should  be  sunk  about  one-half  below  the  surface  of  the 
ground. 

If  there  is  a  side  hill  near  the  stables,  so  that  the 
surface  of  the  earth  will  come  nearly  to  the  top  of  the 
walls  at  one  end  of  the  Silos,  it  will  be  found  very  con- 
venient in  filling  the  Silos,  in  weighting  the  Ensilage, 
and  in  removing  the  weights  as  it  is  fed  out. 

These  walls  must  be  built  sufficiently  strong  to  with- 
stand when  empty  the  pressure  of  the  earth  inward,  as 
well  as  the  pressure  outward,  caused  by  the  settling  of 
the  Ensilage  under  the  superimposed  weights  placed 
upon  it. 


DESCRIPTION  OF  THE  "WINNING-FARM"  SILOS.    21 


22 


THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 


Where  it  is  not  convenient  to  get  stone  for  weights, 
heavy  logs  of  wood  may  be  used,  sawed  in  pieces  about 
three  feet  in  length,  and  placed  on  end  all  over  the 
planks  which  cover  the  Ensilage  ;  three  feet  of  wood 
being  about  equal  in  weight  to  one  foot  of  stone.  Or 
broken  bricks  may  be  obtained  at  the  brickyards  at  a 
nominal  price.  Where  neither  of  the  above  is  availa- 
ble, bags  or  boxes  of  earth  may  be  used  as  weights. 
Where  boxes  of  earth  are  used,  they  should  be  made  of 
such  a  size  as  to  fit  close  together  side  by  side. 

M.  Goffart  recommends  that  the  corners  be  rounded. 
I  thought  that  cutting  them  off,  as  shown  in  the  diagram, 
would  answer  as  well  and  be  much  less  expensive.  I 
find,  upon  opening  the  Silo,  that  the  Ensilage  is  pre- 


Earth-box  for  weights,  showing  convenient  handles  which  will  not  interfere  with  piling  the 

boxes  when  removed. 


DESCRIPTION  OF    THE   "  WINNING-FARM"    SILOS.       23 

served  as  well  and  settled  as  evenly  in  these  corners  as 
elsewhere ;  also  that  the  preservation  is  just  as  perfect 
close  to  the  walls  as  in  the  centre,  showing  that  a  con- 
crete wall  is  more  impervious  to  air  than  a  brick  one. 


CHAPTER  III. 

FILLING   THE    SILO. 

I  COMMENCED  cutting  my  green-corn  fodder  on  Sept. 
22,  and  finished  putting  on  the  stone  for  weight  at  three 
o'clock  P.M.,  Sept.  30,  putting  in  about  two  feet  in  depth 
daily.  This  is  fast  enough  ;  for  the  shrinkage  will  then 
be  much  less  when  the  weights  are  put  on  than  it  would 
be  were  the  Silo  filled  faster. 

The  seven  acres  of  corn-fodder  filled  one  Silo  to  with- 
in about  5J  feet  from  the  top.  Upon  the  top  of  the 
Ensilage  I  put  about  one  foot  of  rye  straw  uncut.  Then 
I  commenced  at  one  end,  and  floored  it  over  by  laying 
ij  inch  spruce  plank  crosswise  the  entire  length.  Upon 
this  floor  I  put  about  25  tons  of  bowlders.  I  am  not 
sure  that  the  straw  is  necessary  :  further  experiments  will 
decide.  I  shall  use  less  next  season. 

The  Ensilage  settled  about  ij  feet.  There  has  been 
no  odor  or  steam  arising  from  it.  The  cost  of  cutting 
the  corn  up,  hauling  it  to  the  cutter,  cutting  it  TV  of  an 
inch  long,  and  packing  it  in  the  Silo,  was  not  far  from  75 
cents  per  ton. 

It  was  new  work.  The  cutter  was  not  adapted  to  the 
business,  clogging  badly  and  necessitating  slow  feeding. 
All  this  combined  to  make  it  cost  more  than  it  will  when 
we  become  used  to  the  work  of  handling  large  amounts 
of  green-corn  fodder. 


FlLLll 


VG    THE   SILO,  25 

The  corn-fodder  can  be  cut  in  the  field  with  corn- 
knives  cheaper  than  by  the  mowing-machine.  The  men 
as  they  cut  it  lay  it  in  bunches  ;  for  it  is  much  easier  for 
the  drivers  to  load  it  when  laid  in  bunches,  than  to 
gather  it  up  after  the  mowing-machine.  The  extra  cost 
in  cutting  is  more  than  made  up  by  the  expedition  in 
loading  and  hauling. 

I  think  the  cost  of  Ensilaging  300  to  400  tons,  when 
we  have  the  right  kind  of  a  cutter  (Baldwin's  Ameri- 
can fodder-cutter  all  sizes,  adapted  to  large  as  well  as 
small  farmers,  substantially  built  and  at  reasonable  prices, 
is  the  best  one  I  have  seen :  they  are  manufactured 
for,  and  are  for  sale  by,  Joseph  Breck  &  Sons,  the  old 
and  reliable  seedsmen  and  dealers  in  all  kinds  of  agri- 
cultural implements,  Boston,  Mass. :  I  have  bought  seeds 
and  tools  of  them  for  many  years,  and  have  always  found 
them  reliable  and  trustworthy),  will  not  exceed  40  cents 
per  ton.  This  is  less  than  it  would  cost  to  go  to  the 
field,  and  cut  and  haul  it  into  the  barn ;  and,  after  it  is  in 
the  barn,  the  labor  of  feeding  the  whole  fodder  is  much 
more  than  to  fill  a  basket  in  the  Silo  and  give  it  to  each 
animal.  Therefore  it  is  cheaper  to  cut  up  the  whole 
crop  at  one  time,  put  it  in  the  Silos,  and  feed  it  from 
them  to  the  stock  even  in  summer,  than  to  go  to  the  field 
for  it  as  it  is  wanted. 

Now,  when  it  is  considered  that  the  corn-plant  is  at  its 
best  but  a  few  days ;  that  it  can  all  be  put  into  Silos 
when  in  the  best  condition  ;  and  that,  notwithstanding 
great  care  in  successive  plantings,  if  used  directly  from 
the  fields,  much  has  to  be  fed  either  in  an  immature 
state,  or  when  too  hard  for  the  cattle  to  masticate  the 
stalks,  —  it  will  be  seen  that  the  saving,  however  consid- 
erable in  planting  as  well  as  harvesting  the  whole  crop 
at  one  time,  is  but  a  trifle  compared  to  the  gain  in  nutri- 


26  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

tive  value  by  being  all  cut  at  the  right  stage  of  growth, 
and  preserved  by  the  system  of  Ensilage  with  all  its 
elements  uninjured. 

Ensilage  is  therefore  the  most  economical  method  of 
soiling.  The  preserved  succulent  forage  is  improved  by 
lying  in  the  Silos,  and  at  the  same  time  the  easiest  and 
cheapest  road  by  which  green  crops  can  reach  the  man- 
ger is  through  the  Silo.  It  practically  annihilates  winter, 
and  places  the  stock-raisers  and  dairymen  in  better  cir- 
cumstances than  they  would  be  if  they  had  throughout 
the  year  the  waving  fields  of  oats  or  rye  and  the  luxu- 
riant corn  in  their  best  stage  for  soiling,  from  which  to 
cut  the  daily  food  of  their  animals.  The  advantage  of 
being  able  to  plant  or  sow  the  whole  crop  at  one  time, 
and  to  cut  and  store  it  all  at  once,  when  in  its  most 
nutritive  state,  can  hardly  be  over-estimated. 

My  corn  was  planted  from  the  I5th  to  the  25th  of 
June.  On  one  acre  was  Stowel's  evergreen  sweet  corn  ; 
the  other  six  acres,  Southern  white  corn. 

There  were  at  least  twice  as  many  tons  of  the  latter  to 
the  acre  as  of  the  former.  I  shall  plant  no  more  sweet 
corn  for  Ensilage.  The  corn  was  all  sown  in  drills  about 
three  feet  apart,  one  bushel  of  seed-corn  to  the  acre; 
was  manured  with  about  six  cords  of  stable  manure 
spread  broadcast  after  ploughing,  and  harrowed  twice 
with  a  Thomas  smoothing  harrow.  It  was  planted  with 
an  "  Albany  corn-planter ;"  which,  in  addition  to  opening 
the  drill,  dropping  the  corn,  and  covering  it,  also  de- 
posited about  two  hundred  pounds  to  the  acre  of  a  mix- 
ture composed  of  equal  parts  of  superphosphate,  cotton- 
seed, meal,  and  gypsum.  A  portion  did  not  come  up 
well,  and  had  to  be  replanted.  The  dry  weather  and 
cool  nights  of  the  summer  of  1879  prevented  a  rapid 
growth  in  certain  portions.  In  fact,  it  was  not  a  good 


FILLING    THE  SILO.  27 

corn  year,  so  that,  the  crop  was  somewhat  uneven  at 
harvesting.  The  leaves  at  the  bottom  of  the  stalks  had 
largely  become  dry  and  dead,  and  a  sharp  frost  when  the 
cutting  was  about  half  finished  injured  somewhat  the 
leaves  on  that  portion  still  standing  in  the  field.  Some 
of  the  stalks  had  ears  large  enough  for  roasting ;  and  the 
whole  of  it,  I  think,  was  rather  too  mature. 

There  was  estimated  to  be  in  the  Silo  when  opened 
125  tons.  The  crop  was  very  uneven,  some  parts  having 
at  least  40  tons  to  the  acre.  Upon  other  parts,  where 
the  drought  affected  that  which  was  replanted,  the  yield 
was  not  over  10  tons  per  acre.  I  do  not  think  it  will 
be  at  all  difficult  to  raise  40  to  75  tons  per  acre  upon  an 
average  on  good  corn-land.  It  should  be  planted  from 
the  ist  to  the  loth  of  June.  It  will  then  be  in  full 
blossom,  and  in  the  best  condition  to  cut,  by  the  last  of 
August  and  before  any  frost  can  injure  it. 

As  stated  above,  the  cutting  was  finished  on  the  3Oth 
of  September.  It  was  decided  to  open  it  on  the  third 
day  of  December ;  and,  as  the  condition  of  the  Ensilaged 
maize  was  a  question  of  the  utmost  importance,  it  was, 
upon  the  suggestion  of  Mr.  Brown,  decided  to  have  the 
"opening  of  the  Winning- Farm  Silos"  a  public  matter 
"  as  the  American  Initiative." 

Accordingly  invitations  were  sent  to  quite  a  number 
of  gentlemen,  well  known  for  their  interest  in  agricul- 
ture, as  well  as  for  the  benefit  they  have  conferred  upon 
the  whole  country  in  the  untiring  efforts  they  have  made 
to  improve  not  only  our  system  of  cultivation,  but  our 
domestic  breeds  of  cattle  and  all  the  fruits  of  the  earth 
which  minister  to  the  wants  and  add  to  the  pleasures 
of  mankind. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

OPENING    OF   THE    SILO. 

UNFORTUNATELY  the  meetings  of  the  State  Board  of 
Agriculture  and  the  Massachusetts  State  Dairy  Fair, 
were  held  on  the  same  day  as  the  opening,  which  pre- 
vented the  attendance  of  many  gentlemen,  who,  however, 
sent  letters  of  regret  expressing  great  interest  in  the 
result. 

The  following  letter  was  received  from  the  United 
States  Commissioner  of  Agriculture  :  — 

DEPARTMENT  OF  AGRICULTURE,  WASHINGTON,  Nov.  23,  1879. 

J.  B.  BROWN,  50  Beekman  Street,  New  York. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  am  much  gratified  to  receive  and  thank  you  for  the 
invitation  to  attend  the  opening  of  the  FIRST  American  Silo  at  the  farm 
of  Mr.  John  M.  Bailey  at  Billerica,  Mass. 

As  Congress  will  be  in  session  at  the  time  mentioned,  it  will  not  be 
possible  for  me  to  attend,  a  fact  which  I  regret  very  much.  Will  you 
have  the  kindness  to  convey  to  Mr.  Bailey  my  sincere  regrets,  and  ask 
him  to  give  me  a  detailed  statement  of  the  experiment  from  beginning 
to  end,  for  publication  in  my  next  annual  report  ? 

I  look  upon  the  system  of  Ensilage  as  one  which  has  wrought  won- 
derful changes  in  certain  French  provinces,  and  from  which  we  may  hope 
for  greater  success  in  this  country. 

It  will  prove,  I  have  little  doubt,  a  very  decided  advance  in  our  agri- 
cultural methods. 

Very  respectfully  yours, 

WM.  G.  LE  Due,  Commissioner. 
28 


OPENING   OF   THE  SILO.  29 

The  following  letter  from  Hon.  Marshall  P.  Wilder 
shows  us  that  neither  his  advanced  age,  nor  the  painful 
accident  from  which  we  all  rejoice  to  know  he  is  rapidly 
recovering,  has  diminished  his  interest  in  all  that  per- 
tains to  an  improved  agriculture  :  — 

BOSTON,  Dec.  2,  1879. 

My  dear  Sir,  —  I  would  be  glad  to  be  at  the  "  Winning  reception  " 
to-morrow,  but  I  am  not  sufficiently  recovered  to  take  the  journey.  With 
thanks  for  your  kind  invitation, 

I  am  yours  as  ever, 
MR.  BAILEY.  MARSHALL  P.  WILDER. 


RAMSEY'S,  BERGEN  .COUNTY,  N.J.,  Nov.  27,  1879. 
MR.  J.  B.  BROWN. 

My  dear  Sir,  —  In  reply  to  your  letter  of  the  i9th  inst.,  I  regret  to 
say  that  I  shall  leave  in  a  few  days  for  California,  and  am  therefore  un- 
able to  accept  the  invitation  of  Mr.  Bailey  to  be  present  at  the  opening 
of  his  Silo  of  1 20  tons  of  "  Ensilage,"  on  the  3d  of  December,  on  his 
farm  at  Billerica,  Mass. 

I  have  no  doubt  that  the  preservation  of  corn-stalks  green  for  winter 
fodder  will  soon  become  the  great  resource  of  our  farmers,  giving,  as  it 
will,  increased  remuneration  to  agricultural  industry. 

Mr.  Bailey  is  to  be  congratulated  upon  giving  the  FIRST  public  exhi- 
bition of  Ensilage,  which  promises  such  important  changes. 

I  am  confident,  from  the  investigation  I  have  given  the  subject,  that 
it  will  be  a  convincing  showing  of  its  great  national  value  to  all  present. 
I  have  felt  for  the  last  three  years  that  I  could  render  no  greater  benefit 
to  my  neighbors,  than  to  direct  their  attention  to  this  system  of  hus- 
bandry. 

I  am,  with  great  respect,  your  obedient  servant, 

RODMAN  M.  PRICE. 


MORETON  FARM,  ROCHESTER,  N.Y.,  Dec.  2,  1879. 
JOHN  M.  BAILEY. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  received  your  kind  invitation  to  be  with  you  to-morrow. 
Nothing  would  please  me  better ;  but  I  am  so  busy  with  my  seeds,  that 
it  will  be  impossible  to  spare  the  time. 

I  think  you  have  struck  the  right  idea. 

Respectfully  yours, 

Jos.  HARRIS. 


30  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

Letters  were  also  received  from  the  agricultural  edit- 
ors of  the  "  New  York  Tribune,"  "  New  York  World," 
"  Land  and  Home,"  and  other  journals,  asking  for  infor- 
mation as  to  the  experiment ;  and  also  from  Professors 
Stockbridge,  Goessmann,  and  Maynard,  Richard  Good- 
man, Esq.,  H.  H.  Commins,  Esq.,  William  H.  Bowker, 
Esq.,  T.  G.  Huntington,  O.  A.  Hillman,  S.  C.  Stone,  and 
many  others  interested  in  agricultural  developments. 

Mr.  J.  B.  Brown,  President  of  the  "  New  York  Plough 
Company,"  and  translator  of  M.  Goffart's  book,  was  pres- 
ent ;  and  there  were  quite  a  large  number  of  gentlemen 
from  New  York  and  the  New  England  States. 

After  briefly  looking  at  the  Berkshire  swine,  Oxford- 
shire-down and  Cotswold  sheep,  and  Jersey  and  short- 
horn cattle,  the  company  repaired  to  the  Silos ;  and  to 
say  that  there  was  a  good  deal  of  anxiety  felt  while  the 
stones  and  spruce  plank  were  being  removed  for  the 
space  of  about  three  feet  at  one  end  of  the  Silo,  would 
be  stating  no  untruth. 

The  top  and  edge  of  the  Ensilage  next  the  door  for 
two  or  three  inches,  was  somewhat  musty,  and  in  places 
almost  rotten.  But  directly  below  this  the  fodder  came 
out  cool,  soft,  moist,  and  wholesome  looking,  with  a 
strong  alcoholic  odor,  and  quite  acid.  It  was  evident 
that  fermentation  had  been  going  on  until  acetic  acid  had 
been  formed. 

The  following  from  the  report  of  the  editor  of  "  The 
Lowell  Journal,"  who  was  present,  will  describe  the  im- 
pression received  by  those  present  at  the  "  opening  :  "  — 

"  There  was,  however,  no  unpleasant  taste,  except  the  acidity,  and  no 
unpleasant  smell. 

"  There  were  twenty  or  thirty  head  of  cattle  on  the  farm,  as  well  as 
sheep,  swine,  and  horses.  They  were  all  given  some  of  the  Ensilage. 

"  The  hogs  ate  it  greedily.     The  sheep  also  seemed  very  fond  of  it. 


OPENING   OF   THE  SILO.  3  i 

The  neat  stock  were  not  so  eager  for  it  at  first;  but  mos  of  them 
seemed  after  a  while  to  acquire  a  taste  for  it,  and  soon  manifested  a 
desire  for  more. 

"  There  were  spots  where  the  fodder  was  not  so  sour ;  but  it  was  evi- 
dent that  it  did  not  come  out  the  sweet,  fresh,  and  palatable  fodder 
which  has  been  secured  in  the  French  Silos. 

"  The  reasons  which  may  be  ascribed  for  this  are  various.  Mr.  Brown 
thought  it  was  due  to  the  maturity  of  the  fodder  when  cut. 

"  It  may  be  that  being  just  at  the  upper  corner,  near  the  door,  the 
preservation  from  oxygen  was  less  perfect  than  will  prove  to  have  been 
the  case  farther  down  in  the  mass. 

"  The  numerous  dry  and  dead  leaves  caused  by  the  drought  and  frost 
may  possibly  have  something  to  do  with  it.  We  shall  know  more  about 
this  as  the  Silo  is  emptied. 

"One  thing  is  certain  thus  far:  the  fodder  is  so  well  preserved  that 
the  cattle  will  eat  if,  and  there  is  no  question  but  that  they  will  thrive 
on  it. 

"  Since  writing  the  above  we  have  received  a  note  from  Mr.  Bailey, 
dated  Dec.  5,  in  which  he  says,  — 

" '  Yesterday  morning  we  fed  what  Ensilage  was  taken  from  the  Silo 
while  you  were  here.  All  of  the  animals  but  four  ate  it  all,  licking  out 
their  mangers  clean.  The  four  finally  ate  theirs  up  before  noon.  This 
morning  we  fed  about  a  bushel  to  each  grown  animal,  and  a  proportionate 
feed  to  younger  ones.  I  am  pleased  to  state  that  they  have  all  eaten  it 
up  clean.  The  acidity  appears  to  be  much  less  than  when  first  opened, 
and  there  is  emitted  —  as  there  should  be  —  a  strong  alcoholic  odor.  I 
think  that  under  the  circumstances  we  can  claim  it  as  a  perfect  suc- 
cess.' " 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  the  cause  of  this  acidity, 
and  the  alcoholic  odor  in  the  Ensilage,  is  on  account  of 
the  stalks  being  too  mature  before  cutting. 

Professor  Goessmann  Writes  that  "  acetic  acid  had 
formed  in  the  stalks  before  they  were  cut." 

If  cut  at  the  period  of  blossoming,  but  very  little 
acetic  fermentation  will  take  place  in  the  Silo,  and  no 
alcoholic  fermentation  until  after  it  has  been  exposed  in 
a  large  pile  to  the  action  of  the  atmosphere. 

I  think  there  is  always  more  or  less  acidity  present. 


32  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

From  a  report  to  the  Central  Agricultural  Society  of 
France  by  a  "  committee  of  the  sections  on  live  stock, 
physico-chemical  and  high  cultivation,"  upon  the  subject 
of  the  "Ensilage  of  green-cut  corn-fodder  seance,  April 
7,  1875,"  I  make  the  following  extract:  — 

"  The  fodder  has  an  alcoholic  odor  quite  marked  and  slightly  acid.  It 
is  eaten  with  avidity  by  the  cows,  and  constituted  their  sole  food  since 
the  commencement  of  winter.  We  were  struck  by  the  hearty  appear- 
ance of  the  28  or  30  cows.  Their  eyes  were  bright,  their  skins  soft,  and 
they  are  in  good  condition.  (Goffart's  '  Ensilage  of  Maize.')" 

On  the  Qth  of  December  the  following  report  was 
made  to  "The  Country  Gentleman  :  "  — 

ENSILAGE    IN    MASSACHUSETTS. 

EDITORS  COUNTRY  GENTLEMAN  :  — 

.  The  "  Winning  Farm  Silos  "  are  a  perfect  success.  The  preserved 
corn- fodder  which  was  cut  about  T\  of  an  inch  long,  and  placed  in  the 
Silo  about  the  last  of  September,  and  subjected  to  heavy  and  continuous 
pressure,  is  being  fed  to  the  stock.  They  all  eat  it  with  avidity.  Its 
preservation  is  perfect.  It  has  an  alcoholic  odor,  and  is  somewhat 
acid.  My  stock  eat  it  all,  lick  out  their  mangers,  and  look  wistfully  for 
more.  When  the  Silo  was  first  opened,  Dec.  3,  there  appeared  to  be  a 
strong  acidity,  so  much  so  that  some  of  the  gentlemen  present  were  some- 
what disappointed ;  but  as  we  get  farther  into  the  mass  of  Ensilage  the 
acidity  is  much  less,  while  the  alcoholic  odor  upon  exposure  to  the  air 
several  hours  is  much  stronger. 

I  tried  a  little  experiment  with  it  this  afternoon.  I  had  a  pen  of  seven 
Oxfordshire-downs,  and  another  pen  of  five  maple-shade  Cotswolds. 
They  had  just  been  fed  with  some  clean  bright  hay.  In  another  feed- 
trough  I  put  some  Ensilage.  Five  of  the  seven  Oxfordshire-downs  left 
the  hay,  and  ate  the  Ensilage,  and  four  of  the  five  Cotswolds  left  their 
hay  and  did  likewise. 

I  feed,  in  place  of  the  ration  of  hay,  25  to  30  pounds  of  Ensilage  to 
each  cow  in  the  morning,  and  the  same  at  night,  which  has  lain  upon 
the  barn-floor  all  night,  during  which  time  fermentation  is  quite  active  so 
that  it  is  warm  in  the  morning. 

The  Ensilage  in  the  Silo  which  is  compacted,  although  exposed  to 


OPENING    OF   THE  SILO.  33 

the  air  seems  to  undergo  no  change.  It  is  pressed  so  hard  that  the  air 
cannot  enter,  and  therefore  does  not  affect  it  at  all.  I  am  delighted  with 
the  success  of  the  enterprise. 

I  believe  it  is  possible  to  keep  four  cows  a  year  upon  corn  fodder 
Ensilage  raised  upon  one  acre  of  land.  Verily  we  are  under  the  greatest 
obligation  to  M.  Goffart,  and  to  J.  B.  Brown ;  to  the  former  for  demon- 
strating to  our  satisfaction  that  corn-fodder  can  be  successfully  preserved 
in  this  manner,  and  to  the  latter  for  translating  M.  Goffart's  work  into 
English  so  that  we  may  profit  by  his  great  success.  If  he  is  truly  blest 
who  "  causes  two  blades  of  grass  to  grow  where  only  one  grew  before," 
how  much  more  to  be  honored  is  this  man  who  has  taught  us  how  to 
keep  four  cows  upon  an  acre  of  land  where  one  cow  would  find  but 
scanty  subsistence  before  !  A  most  fortunate  agricultural  revolution  is 
indeed  impending,  and  one  which  I  trust  many  of  our  progressive  farm- 
ers will  engage  in  during  the  coming  season. 

JOHN  M.  BAILEY. 
"WINNING  FARM,"  BILLERICA,  MASS. 


CHAPTER  V. 

COST   OF   KEEPING   STOCK    UPON    ENSILAGE. 

THE  following  statement  from  a  gentleman  whose 
estate  joins  "  Winning  Farm  "  will  be  read  with  interest. 

JOHN  M.  BAILEY,  ESQ., 

Winning  Farm,  Billerica,  Mass. 

Dear  Sir,  —  In  accordance  with  my  suggestions  made  on  the  occa- 
sion of  the  opening  of  your  Silo,  Dec.  3, 1  have  used  your  Ensilage  in 
manner  as  follows.  My  small  herd  of  six  cows  calved  early  in  the 
spring,  viz.,  in  the  months  of  March  and  April.  They  are  of  the  ordinary 
New  England  stock,  with  no  pretensions  to  any  pedigree.  I  sell  no  milk ; 
and  my  cows,  such  as  they  are,  were  selected  more  for  their  butter-mak- 
ing qualities  than  for  any  extra  milking  properties.  These  cows  had 
served  through  the  season  for  butter-making,  and  with  the  commence- 
ment, of  cold  weather  and  the  stoppage  of  "  fall  feed  "  had  begun  to 
shrink  in  milk. 

Previous  to  the  use  of  your  Ensilage,  the  six  cows  had  been  fed  two 
bushels  of  flat  turnips,  with  four  quarts  of  bran  to  each  cow  daily,  and 
what  dry  corn-fodder  they  would  eat.  The  amount  of  milk  given  by 
them  daily  was  30  quarts,  from  which  18  pounds  of  butter  were  made 
per  week. 

I  commenced  using  your  Ensilage  on  Wednesday,  Dec.  10,  and  left 
off  using  it  on  the  iTth,  feeding  18  barrels,  or  54  bushels,  during  the 
week.  All  but  one  cow  took  to  the  fodder  at  first  kindly,  and  their 
appetite  for  it  increased  from  day  to  day.  There  was  an  increase  of 
milk  from  30  quarts  to  35  quarts  daily.  The  cream  was  thicker,  of 
richer  color,  and  of  better  quality,  than  from  their  previous  feeding. 
One  sack  of  bran  of  the  value  of  90  cents  was  all  that  the  cows  ate  dur- 

34 


COST  OF  KEEPING  STOCK   UPON  ENSILAGE.         35 

ing  the  week  in  addition  to  your  Ensilage,  except  a  small  amount  of 
bog  or  meadow  hay  of  nominal  value. 

The  account  for  this  week  would  therefore  be  for  the  six  cows :  — 

54  bushels  Ensilage  (1,620  Ibs.),  @  $.001      ....   -$1.62 
i  bag  wheat  shorts 90 

$2.52 

The  cows  should  be  credited  with  22  pounds  of  butter  at  35  cents 
a  pound,  and  say  210  quarts  of  skim-milk  at  one  cent  per  quart,  which 
I  consider  its  value  as  feed  for  the  pigs. 

22  pounds  butter,  @  $.35     .         ,'      ,,      «  %    v   >.         .     $7.70 
2 10  quarts  skim-milk     .01  ,     '   .         .        .         .         .       2.10 


Cost  of  keeping 


Profit      .      ..,;><_,    -•':. . :  ;,..,:.•>,;.         .     $7.28 

The  flavor  of  the  butter  was  excellent,  and  its  color  a  good  yellow 
equal  to  that  which  sweet  pasture  gives. 

In  the  above  brief  statement  I  have  confined  myself  strictly  to  facts, 
and  will  make  no  comments,  except  to  say  that  I  am  convinced  that 
your  method  of  preserving  green  fodder  for  use  in  winter  time  is  a  suc- 
cess, and  will  eventually  be  adopted  in  this  part  of  the  country. 

HENRY  B.  JUDKINS. 

Since  receiving  the  above,  Mr.  Judkins  informs  me 
that  his  cows  shrank  so  that  they  gave  but  20  quarts 
daily,  three  days  after  resuming  dry  feed. 

This  is  about  what  they  would  have  shrunk  to  by  this 
time,  had  the  natural  shrinkage  not  been  arrested  and  an 
increase  caused  by  the  one  week's  feed  of  Ensilage. 

I  have  a  Jersey  heifer  20  months  old  which  has 
doubled  her  yield  of  milk  since  I  began  to  feed  Ensilage. 
I  have  one  cow  13  years  old  which  came  in  Dec.  i,  three 
weeks  ago.  She  is  now  giving  16  quarts  daily  upon  60 
pounds  of  Ensilage  and  four  quarts  of  shorts.  I  am 
feeding  35  head  of  cattle  and  100  head  of  sheep  upon  45 
bushels  (about  1,350  pounds)  of  Ensilage,  and  80  cents' 


36  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

worth  of  shorts,  and  less  than  50  pounds  of  hay  daily. 
I  cannot  make  the  cost  of  corn  Ensilage  to  be  more  than 
one  mill  per  pound,  or  $2  per  ton. 

It  will,  therefore,  be  seen  that  the  expense  of  keeping 
35  horned  animals  and  100  sheep  at  "  Winning  Farm" 
is  as  follows  :  — 

1,350  pounds  of  Ensilage  (a)  $.001        .'  '  ? -;. ;i 
90  pounds  of  shorts          .      ^.    -     .     •"•  .   :     ; 
50  pounds  of  hay  (a)  $15  per  ton      .      '  v        . 

Total  cost  per  day       ......     $2.52^ 

The  cost  of  keeping  the  above  stock  upon  hay  and 
grain  would  be  as  follows  :  — 

20  pounds  of  hay  to  each  animal  (ten  yearlings  count- 
ed as  five  cows),  making  30  head,  would  require  daily  as 
follows :  — 

600  pounds  of  hay  for  cattle,  at  $15  per  ton .         .         .  $4  50 

200  pounds  of  hay  for  100  sheep .         .         .         .         .         .  i  50 

1 20  pounds  of  shorts  for  cattle,  at  $18  per  ton       .         .         .  i  08 

40  pounds  of  shorts  for  sheep       ......  36 


Total  cost  of  keeping  30  cattle  and  100  sheep  per  day  on  hay 

and  grain      .         .         .         .         .         .         .         .  $7  44 

Cost  of  keeping  the  above  on  Ensilage  as  above    .         .         .         252^ 


Daily  balance  in  favor  of  Ensilage $4  91^ 

From  my  experience  in  feeding  so  far,  I  consider  Ensi- 
lage to  be  worth  one-half  as  much  as  the  best  timothy 
hay.  I  would  not,  however,  exchange  Ensilage  for  hay 
and  give  two  tons  for  one.  I  believe  that  40  to  75  tons 
of  corn-fodder  can  easily  be  raised  upon  an  acre,  which 
if  properly  Ensilaged  will  be  equal  to  from  20  to  370  tons 
of  hay.  To  receive  the  fullest  benefit,  however,  I  think 
there  should  be  some  nitrogenous  food,  such  as  oats, 
shorts,  pea  or  bean  meal,  oil  meal  or  animal  meal,  fed 
with  the  Ensilage. 


COST  OF  KEEPING  STOCK   UPON  ENSILAGE.         37 

Judging  from  the  appearance  and  the  droppings  of 
rny  animals,  I  believe  they  are  fed  as  high  as  young  and 
breeding  stock  should  be  fed. 

There  is  another  advantage :  after  the  corn  is  cut  and 
put  into  the  Silo,  — the  last  of  August  or  first  of  Septem- 
ber, —  the  land  can  then  be  ploughed,  and  sown  with 
winter  rye.  The  summer,  fall,  and  winter  accumulations 
of  manure  can  be  hauled  out,  and  spread  broadcast  upon 
the  rye  at  any  time  after  it  is  sown,  during  the  fall  and 
winter  months  or  early  spring.  The  rye  will  be  in  blos- 
som, and  ready  to  cut,  between  the  loth  and  25th  of 
May,  and  should  be  cut  yg-  of  an  inch  long,  and  put  into 
the  Silo  in  the  same  manner  as  the  corn  fodder. 

Land  highly  manured  ought  to  give  ten  tons  of  green 
rye  for  Ensilage  per  acre.  The  manure  having  been 
applied  to  the  land  during  the  time  it  was  occupied  by 
the  rye,  nothing  remains  but  to  plough  in  the  rye  stubble, 
and  drill  in  the  corn.  Thus  40  to  75  tons  of  Ensilage 
can  be  easily  raised  from  one  acre  of  good  corn-land. 

I  roll  my  fodder-corn  land  as  'soon  as  planted,  harrow 
with  a  Thomas  smoothing-harrow  just  as  it  is  prick- 
ing through  the  ground,  and  once  every  week  or  ten 
days  until  it  is  about  a  foot  high.  Then,  if  there  appear 
any  weeds,  I  go  through  it  once  with  a  horse-hoe.  I 
like  the  Centennial  horse-hoe,  manufactured  by  Tim- 
othy B.  Hussey,  North  Berwick,  Me.,  best  of  any  I  have 
tried. 

In  conclusion,  let  me  urge  every  farmer,  who  can,  to 
build  a  Silo.  They  will  have  to  build  sheds  to  accommo- 
date the  stock  they  will  be  able  to  keep.  Silos  and 
cheap  cattle-sheds  are  much  cheaper  than  expensive  hay- 
barns. 

No  manure-cellars  are  needed.  Cement  the  floors  of 
the  cattle-sheds  (it  costs  less  than  a  plank  floor) ,  so  as 


38  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

to  save  all  the  manure,  both  solid  and  liquid  ;  bed  them 
with  leaves,  meadow  hay,  or  any  kind  of  hay,  for  that 
matter. 

Apply  the  manure  as  it  is  made,  broadcast  upon  the 
rye  fields.  The  land  will  continually  grow  richer,  the 
crops  of  rye  and  corn  fodder  heavier.  The  stock  upon 
the  farm  will  increase  in  number  and  value  until  agricul- 
ture will  become  the  most  profitable  as  well  as  the 
noblest  avocation  which  shall  engage  the  attention  of 
intelligent  and  refined  manhood. 


The  foregoing  was  —  it  will  be  seen  —  written  at 
intervals,  from  the  time  of  opening  the  Silo  until  about 
the  third  day  of  January,  when  I  went  to  Virginia  to  visit 
my  stock  farm  in  Sussex  County.  A  month  had  elapsed 
since  I  first  began  to  feed  the  Ensilage,  and  I  was  absent 
from  "  Winning  Farm  "  about  a  month. 

Although  letters  from  my  manager  had  informed  me 
from  time  to  time  that  "  the  Ensilage  works  better  every 
day,"  still  I  was  unprepared  to  see  such  an  improve- 
ment in  the  general  appearance  of  the  stock.  They 
lookecl  as  if  they  had  been  at  pasture  with  feed  up  to 
their  eyes,  sleek  and  smooth.  Hundreds  of  people  have 
visited  "  Winning  Farm  "  during  the  winter  to  see  the 
Silos,  and  examine  the  stock  fed  upon  Ensilage.  All 
expressed  the  same  surprise  and  delight  at  their  appear- 
ance. It  is  all  eaten,  not  a  pound  is  wasted  :  sheep, 
hogs,  cattle  and  horses,  all  like  it.  Sheep  seem  to  be  as 
fond  of  it  as  they  are  of  oats.  In  January  I  purchased 
the  maple-shade  flock  of  Cotswolds,  or,  at  least,  all  the 
best  ewes  in  the  flock.  Since  their  arrival  at  ''Winning 
Farm  "  they  have  been  fed  Ensilage  daily. 


CHAPTER  VI. 

TIME   WHEN    FORAGE   PLANTS   CONTAIN  THE  GREATEST  AMOUNT 
OF   NUTRITIVE    VALUE. 

A  GREAT  advance  has  been  made  within  a  few  years  in 
agricultural  knowledge ;  and  among  the  most  valuable 
facts  learned  has  been  this,  that  grass  contains  a  greater 
amount  of  nutrition  when  in  blossom  than  at  any  time 
before  or  afterwards. 

What  is  true  of  the  common  grasses,  viz.,  timothy,  red- 
top,  orchard-grass,  and  clover,  is  equally  true  of  corn, 
which  is  but  a  gigantic  grass. 

If,  then,  a  stalk  of  corn  contains  at  the  time  it  blossoms 
more  nutritive  value  than  at  any  subsequent  time,  how 
foolish  and  wasteful  to  let  it  stand  for  the  ear  to  form  at 
the  expense  of  the  stalk,  while  at  the  same  time  great 
loss  is  going  on  from  the  leaves  and  the  stalk,  as  is  the 
case  with  other  and  smaller  grasses. 

The  seed  formed  in  the  head  of  a  stalk  of  timothy  or 
other  grass  —  while  very  rich  and  nutritious  in  itself  — 
does  not  by  any  means  compensate  for  the  loss  which 
has  been  sustained  by  the  stalk  and  leaves  while  the 
seed  is  forming  and  ripening. 

The  loss  which  is  sustained  in  the  ripening  process  is 
not  all.  By  expending  a  great  amount  of  labor  the  corn 
is  shucked  and  put  in  the  cribs.  There  it  suffers  more  or 
less  from  the  depredations  of  rats,  mice,  and  other  vermin. 

39 


4O  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

We  re-shock  or  stack  the  corn-fodder.  If  we  hope 
or  expect  to  induce  our  cattle  to  eat  much  of  the 
stover,  we  must  cut  it  with  a  powerful  cutter ;  next  the 
corn  must  be  ground,  and  carefully  mixed  with  the  cut 
corn-fodder.  Then  it  must  be  steamed ;  and  after  all  this 
labor  and  expense  the  stock  will  nose  it  about  in  their 
mangers,  and  leave  enough  of  it  to  keep  themselves  well 
bedded.  Now  what  do  we  accomplish  by  all  this  shuck- 
ing, cribbing,  grinding,  cutting  of  the  fodder,  mixing 
and  steaming?  Why,  we  have  been  getting  up  a  very 
poor  quality  of  "  Ensilage  "  ! 

After  the  stalks  and  leaves  had  become  almost  worth- 
less by  exposure  to  the  rains  and  dews  while  the  ripen- 
ing of  the  ears  was  being  accomplished,  we  then,  by 
an  expensive,  laborious,  and  roundabout  way,  try  with  all 
the  appliances  of  steam  and  machinery  to  get  the  corn 
back  into  the  stalks  so  that  we  can  induce  our  cattle  to 
eat  them. 

Why  not  take  and  preserve  the  plant  when  its  nutritive 
value  is  the  greatest  ?  when  all  its  valuable  elements  are 
mixed  and  blended  in  an  harmonious  whole  exactly 
adapted  for  the  healthy  sustenance  of  our  domestic  ani- 
mals, by  that  Master  Chemist  whose  handiwork  as  seen 
in  the  tiniest  leaf  is  so  far  in  advance  of  our  most  skilful 
combinations  that  we  can  never  even  hope  to  comprehend 
how  it  was  formed  from  the  original  elements. 

It  will  be  almost  unnecessary  to  state  that  this  system 
of  preserving  corn-fodder  is  equally  well  adapted  to  all 
the  grasses,  clover,  Hungarian  grass,  millet,  pea  and 
bean  vines,  and,  in  fact,  to  all  kinds  of  forage-crops,  par- 
ticularly heavy  crops  of  aftermath,  which  it  is  often  im- 
possible to  cure  by  drying,  owing  to  the  lateness  of  the 
season,  the  sun  by  the  obliquity  of  its  rays  having  lost 
much  of  its  potency. 


TIME   OF  GREATEST  NUTRITIVE    VALUE.  41 

There  is  no  doubt  in  my  mind  that  there  is  more 
available  nutrition  in  a  kernel  of  grain  when  it  is  fully 
grown,  before  it  has  had  time  to  harden,  before  a  part  of 
its  substance  has  been  converted  into  a  hard,  tough  en- 
velope which  is  almost  indigestible,  than  at  any  subse- 
quent time.  This  hard  protecting  envelope  is  a  wise  and 
providential  provision  to  protect  the  kernel  as  a  seed  for 
future  crops.  Heretofore  no  means  have  been  known 
to  preserve  grain  except  by  ripening  and  drying,  nor  to 
cure  forage  crops  except  by  drying :  since  Ensilage  has 
been  proved  practical,  we  may  now  harvest  all  our  crops 
when  they  contain  the  greatest  available  amount  of  as- 
similable nutritive  elements,  and  preserve  them  unimr 
paired  indefinitely.  In  this  view  of  the  object  of  ripen- 
ing grain,  the  conclusion  is  irresistible  that  the  nutritive 
acme  in  corn  and  other  grain  is  to  be  found  at  or  before 
the  blossoming  period,  as  it  is  in  the  grasses. 

It  is  by  no  means  certain,  so  far  as  the  kernel  of  grain 
itself  is  concerned,  that  the  ripened  grain  contains  as 
large  an  amount  of  available  nutritive  elements  as  it  does 
when  in  the  milk.  I  have  often  observed  that  pigs  when 
fed  upon  soft  corn  grow  better  than  when  fed  upon  old 
corn.  Experiments  in  feeding  swine  at  the  West,  re- 
ported in  ''The  National  Live  Stock  Journal,"  show  this. 
In  the  August  number  I  find  the  following :  — 

"  There  is  no  article  of  food  for  swine,  available  to  the  ordinary  farm- 
er, that  will  fatten  hogs  so  rapidly  as  green  corn.  Its  use  may  be  com- 
menced just  as  soon  as  the  kernels  are  fairly  filled  with  'milk;'  and 
the  gain  that  young  pigs,  as  well  as  mature  hogs,  will  make  upon  this 
food  is  surprising:  In  preparing  swine  for  exhibition  at  the  autumn  fairs, 
or  for  an  early  market  for  pork,  nothing  is  equal  to  it." 


CHAPTER  VII. 

ANALYSIS    AND    COMPOSITION    OF   CORN    WHEN    CUT    IN    ITS 
GREEN    STATE. 

THE  following  is  taken  from  J.  B.  Brown's  translation, 
and  is  a  letter  to  Mons.  A.  GofTart  from  J.  A.  Barras, 
Perpetual  Secretary  of  the  Central  Agricultural  Society 
of  France,  and  editor  of  "  Journal  de  TAgriculture.  " 

"You  do  not  seek  to  produce  a  fermentation."  (Earlier  in  the  experi- 
ments it  was  thought  that  fodder  could  only  be  preserved  in  a  green  state 
by  fermentation.  This  is  found  to  be  a  mistake  :  all  fermentation  is 
but  the  beginning  of  decomposition  and  decay,  and  should  be  avoided 
as  much  as  possible.  —  J.  M.  B.)  "You  propose  to  maintain  all  its  parts 
in  a  condition  as  near  as  possible  like  that  of  the  plant  at  the  moment  it 
was  cut. 

"  It  is  important  to  ascertain  what  is  the  distribution  of  mineral  and 
organic  matter  in  the  different  parts  of  the  stalk  of  corn. 

"  When  it  is  cut  for  the  Silo  it  becomes  a  mixture  of  all  parts  of  the 
plant  in  such  a  manner  as  to  give  to  the  stock  those  which  are  richest  in 
nourishment  as  well  as  those  that  are  the  poorest. 

"  This  is  one  of  the  advantages  of  the  method.  If  you  give  the  corn- 
plant  to  the  stock  in  the  natural  state,  they  will  eat' first  the  tender  parts, 
and  will  leave  the  hard  parts  which  offer  the  most  resistance  to  the  teeth 
and  have  the  least  flavor. 

"  I  have  taken  thirteen  stalks  of  corn  weighing  altogether  37  pounds." 
(In  reducing  the  weights  and  measures  of  the  metric  system  to  pounds, 
feet,  and  inches,  I  omit  small  fractions,  getting  it  near  enough  for  all 
practical  purposes.  —  J.  M.  B.),  "and  have  cut  them  up  into  six  lots  as 
follows.  Each  of  these  lots  has  been  dried  at  TOO  degrees  (R.).  The 
stalks  were  cut  into  three  parts.  The  length  of  each  portion  was  :  upper 
42 


ANALYSIS  AND   COMPOSITION  OF  CORN. 


43 


part,  25.50  inches;  middle  part,  34.60  inches ;  lower  part,  31.50  inches. 
Average  total  lenglh  of  each  stalk  without  tassels  being  a  fraction  over 
nine  feet. 

Table  No.  i. 


WEIGHT  IN 
GREEN  STATE. 

WEIGHT  AFTER 
DRYING. 

WATER,  OR 
Loss  PER  CENT. 

Grammes. 

4.80  c 

Grammes. 
1.  11  ^ 

T>.6l 

Tassel     . 

.IO2 

*'Jl  D 

.04.7 

r6  O7 

Ear  with  stern                    .          . 

7  0^6 

7  C'* 

7  C  14 

Upper  part  of  stalk      ..... 

I.27O 

•/!>- 

.1  •>  r 

O>14 
QO  I  C 

Middle  part  of  stalk     .          ... 

2.446 
r  T/i6 

;»~j 
•341    ":"'. 

66  1 

86.06 

87  ic 

i  i  stalks  

l6.7QS 

3->4I 

8076       / 

"Thus  the  water  was  quite  unequally  distributed  in  the  stalk.  They 
were  more  watery  at  the  upper  part,  but  the  flowering  portion  was  much 
less  ;  the  grain  was  still  milky. 

"  The  relations  between  the  different  parts  of  the  plant  are  found  to 
be  as  follows  :  — 

Table  No.  2. 


GREEN  STATE. 

DRY  STATE. 

Leaves                        ...         

Percent  of  Weight. 
2Q.2O  "i 

Per  cent  of  Weight. 
4O.  C7  \ 

Tassel      

66  >   47.87 

1.42  /    65.19 

iS.OI  ) 

21.2O  ) 

Upper  part  of  stalk                                     .     .     . 

7.  ^6  1 

-1.8  c  } 

Middle  part  of  stalk       

/Ou  1 
14.86?      S2.I1 

IO.  S2  >     "?4.8l 

Lower  part  of  stalk  

30.01  ' 

20.44  / 

100.00      100.00 

IOO.OO      IOO.OO 

"  This  shows  that  the  stalks  when  green  surpass  in  weight  the  remain- 
der of  the  organs  of  the  plant.  They  contain,  however,  a  less  propor- 
tion of  dry  matter,  and  less  even  than  the  leaves  which  have  in  the  fresh 
state  a  much  less  weight. 


44 


THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 


"  I  have  analyzed  separately  each  of  the  six  lots ;  and  I  have  obtained 
the  following  composition  in  organic  substance,  and  ashes  or  mineral 
substance :  — 

Table  No.  3. 


STALK. 

LEAVES. 

J 

1 

c/5 

< 

H 

I 

I 

X 

ll 

i 

H 

Organic  substance 

8601 

Q4  80 

08  70 

98  26 

26 

Ashes  or  mineral  substance   .     . 

10.99 

5.20 

yo.jvj 
1.70 

4-57 

2.69 

1.74 

5-74 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

100.00 

IOO.OO 

"  Thus  it  will  be  seen  that  the  mineral  substance  is  accumulated  in 
the  leaves  and  upper  part  of  the  stalk. 

"  Here  ar<^the  exact  proportions  of  the  mineral  substance  in  the  dif- 
ferent organs  of  corn  :  — 

Table  No.  4. 

Leaves 77-7O 

Tassel        1.22 

Ear  and  stem 6.79 

Upper  part  of  stalk 3.13 

Middle  part  of  stalk 4.87 

Lower  part  of  stalk 6.29 


100.00 


"Thus,  more  than  77  per  cent  of  mineral  substance  is  accumulated 
in  the  leaves,  more  than  14  per  cent  in  the  stalk,  and  only  about  six  per 
cent  in  the  ear. 

"  We  will  now  ascertain  the  composition  of  the  different  parts  of  the 
plants,  as  appears  when  dried  :  — 


ANALYSIS  AND   COMPOSITION  OF  CORN. 
Table  No.  5. 


45 


STALK. 

LEAVES. 

a 

1 

1 

MIDDLE. 

K 

I 

I1 

Nitrogenous  substances     .     .     . 
Fatty  matter  soluble  in  ether 
Saccharine  matter  soluble  in  al- 
cohol   .                                 . 

6.28 
1.30 

6  co 

6.27 

1.90 

4  7O 

11.09 

2.50 

8  1O 

4-34 

I.OO 

3.86 
.40 

3-37 
•3° 

6.47 
1.28 

Starch      

64  n 

2C  21 

71  CI 

•3Q  4Q 

11.77 

Cellulose      .     .     .     .  r..l    .     .     . 
Mineral  substance 

1  0.60 

TO  QQ 

56.70 

2.90 
I  7O 

33*^o 

33-80 

2  69 

38.00 

5°-35 
18.37 

-1' 

•57 

1./4 

5-74 

Total    

IOO  OO 

IOO  OO 

IOO  OO 

IOO  OO 

IOO  OO 

Nitrogenous  per  cent    .... 

1.004 

1.004 

1-775 

.694 

.617 

•540 

I-°33 

"  The  ear  is  found,  as  we  would  expect,  much  richer  in  nitrogenous 
substance  than  the  other  parts  of  the  plant.  The  nutritive  power  (or 
comparative  value)  as  it  is  agreed  to  define  it,  by  the  relation  of  the 
azotic  substance  to  the  sum  of  the  fatty  matter,  sugar,  and  starch,  is  quite 
inferior  in  the  stalks  to  that  of  the  other  organs,  as  the  following  table 
3hows. 

"Taking  the  ear  as  unity,  the  proportionate  nutritive  power  is  as 
^ollows :  — 

Table  No.  6. 


NUTRITIVE  VALUE 

OF  THE 

WHOLE  PLANT. 

Leaves 

66 

2  C4 

Tassel    .     

I  4Q 

••3^ 

OQ 

Ears  

I.OO 

2.C7 

Upper  part  of  stalk 

C7 

17 

Middle  part  of  stalk                                                      . 

•J/ 
4Q 

.4.1 

Lower  part  of  stalk      

,A  C 

.60 

6.47 

"  The  stalk,  however,  shows  that  it  is  very  rich,  and,  above  all,  the 
leaves,  which  therefore  should  be  taken  care  of  for  the  cattle.  The  fatty 
matter  is  concentrated  in  the  leaves  and  in  the  ear,  the  saccharine  mat- 
ter in  the  leaves  and  stalk,  and  mostly  in  the  lower  part  of  the  stalk. 


46 


THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 


"  The  following  table  indicates  the  concentration  of  saccharine  mat- 
ter in  the  leaves  and  stalk  :  — 

Table  No.  7. 


EACH  PART  CON- 
TRIBUTES. 

PER    CENT  OF  DIF- 
FERENT  PARTS 
TO    THE    WHOLE. 

2.64 

22.36 

Tassel                                          

.07 

.CO 

Ears       .         .              

I.Q7 

l6.4I 

Upper  part  of  stalk                                                     • 

.67 

C.6Q 

Middle  part  of  stalk     .    •                   

2.17 

18.45 

4-  2Q 

^6.  CO 

11.77 

100.00 

"  Cellulose  substance  is,  as  we  would  expect,  in  large  proportion  in 
the  stalk,  and  mostly  toward  the  lower  part  of  it.  It  is  principally  in  the 
leaves  and  ears  with  stem,  that  the  starch  and  the  other  principles  which 
are  neither  cellulose  nor  nitrogenous  nor  mineral  are  found  :  — 


Table  No.  8. 


Entire  Plant. 

Leaves. 

Tassels. 

1 

N 

«CO 

£° 

L 

Jj2 
-ac/3 

1  = 

b 

D.j^j 

^5 

s 

Phosphoric  acid    

7.17 

•5.07 

IO.OI 

77.  CO 

Q.O7 

I4-O0 

7.17 

Sulphuric  acid 

78l 

•>  21 

6  17 

7  c.8 

c.6l 

865 

78l 

Chlorine  .         

J.Ol 
I.-5C 

J..41 

I  O4 

2  7"! 

JO" 

•5  r-> 

yy» 

2  I  c 

Trace 

J.Ol 

I  7C 

Potash     

4.41 

I  ^7 

7.88 

JO~ 
27  1  1 

14  61 

2  41 

^'Jj 

4  41 

Soda 

8  26 

678 

IO  77 

•7  r   -3  A 

I  2  C7 

8  "'Q 

8  "6 

Lime   
Magnesia      

I2.g6 
660 

I3-78 
*64 

11.87 
I  1  O7 

3-46 
7  04 

'-•:)/ 
10.29 

IO  5° 

14-31 

8  71 

12.96 
660 

Iron     . 

O   C  I 

o  46 

Oil 

Trace 

2  08 

o  6? 

O  CI 

Silex   

U..DI 

C4  7  C 

6776 

->t  81 

O  1A. 

^087 

41   77 

'-'•i1 

rx  7  e 

Carbonic  acid  and  waste    .     .    . 

J^'/J 

0.18 

0.13 

JJ-'-'J 
0.03 

O.O9 

*y  UJ 

3-27 

1.  4.9 

J^'/  J 
0.18 

100.00 

100.00 

IOO.OO 

IOO.OO 

IOO.OO 

roo.oo 

IOO.CO 

"The  above  table  shows  that  the  ears  are  the  richest  in  phosphoric 
acid  and  potash.  These  also  contain  the  largest  percentage  of  soda, 
the  least  of  lime  and  silex. 


ANALYSIS  AND   COMPOSITION  OF  CORN. 


47 


"  As  to  the  distribution  of  each  mineral  element  in  the  different  parts 
of  the  plant,  it  is  necessary,  in  order  to  study  it  thoroughly,  to  enter  into 
a  more  detailed  and  separate  examination.  Phosphoric  acid  or  phos- 
phorus, plays  an  important  part  in  agriculture,  not  because  it  is  more 
indispensable  to  vegetation  than  several  other  elements,  but  because  na- 
ture has  not  distributed  it  with  so  much  profusion  in  all  lands  or  in  the 
atmosp'here  as  certain  other  elements  that  on  that  account  are  considered 
secondary.  Indeed,  there  is  not  any  one  element  in  vegetation  of  any 
greater  importance  than  another ;  and,  if  any  person  judges  otherwise,  it 
is  because  he  places  himself  at  the  point  of  view  of  an  agriculturist  who, 
having  need  to  produce  certain  crops  of  a  special  kind,  needs  to  accu- 
mulate such  elements  as  enter  specially  into  their  organization.  . 

"  Therefore,  in  order  to  obtain  abundant  food,  in  order  to  produce 
with  rapidity  domestic  animals  whose  organs  require  much  phosphorus,; 
it  is  necessary  to  seek  methods  for  increasing  the  supply  of  phosphates, 
more  or  less  assimilable,  that  the  plants  may  find  in  the  bed  where  their 
roots  develop. 

"  To  indicate  the  sources  of  the  supply,  whether  in  the  residuum  of 
factories,  or  of  the  household,  or  in  the  numerous  repositories,  has  been 
one  of  the  greatest  services  rendered  in  modern  times  to  agriculture  by 
chemistry  and  geology. 

"  But  there  our  knowledge  ends  :  we  are  entirely  ignorant  as  to  how 
the  phosphorus  distributes  itself  in  the  vegetable,  by  what  process  it 
penetrates  and  circulates  and  accumulates  in  certain  organs,  or  exactly 
what  these  organs  are. 

"  As  to  the  relative  distribution  of  these  elements  ;  the  following  tables 
show  as  far  as  concerns  maize  fodder  intended  for  green  preservation 
by  Ensilage. 

PHOSPHORIC   ACID. 

Table  No.    . 


AMOUNT  IN  EACH 

PART. 

PRESENT  IN  DIF- 
FERENT PARTS. 

Leaves  '.    

Grammes. 
O.I  77 

42.06 

Tassel 

O  OO7 

I.7O 

Ears       ...                                       

O.I  72 

72.O4 

O.O2O 

4-85 

Middle  stalk                                          .    .    .    .    .     . 

0.0^6 

6.31 

Lower  stalk    ......          

O.OCO 

12.14 

Whole  plant  dry                                    .... 

O.4I2 

IOO.OO 

48 


THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 


SULPHURIC   ACID. 

"The  role  of  sulphur  in  vegetation  is  nearly  unknown :  all  that  we 
know  is  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary.  It  is  generally  found  in  less  pro- 
portion than  phosphorus,  in  corn  as  88  to  180. 

Table  No.  10. 


QUANTITY  IN  EACH 

PART. 

PER  CENT  IN   EACH 
PART. 

Grammes. 
.144 

6S.75 

Tassel                                          .    .         .  '*•    .    «•  •"»> 

0.005 

2.28 

Ears                                     

0.014 

6.7Q 

Upper  part  of  stalk      

O.OCK) 

4.11 

Middle  part  of  stalk 

0.016 

7.7O 

Lower  part  of  stalk           

0.031 

14.17 

Whole  plant  dry 

0.219 

IOO.OO 

CHLORINE. 

"By  the  conclusive  experiments  of  Prince  de  Salon- Horstman  we 
know  that  chlorine  is  indispensable  to  the  regular  operations  of  the 
different  phases  of  vegetation ;  but  the  most  complete  obscurity  rests 
upon  its  real  action. 

Table  No.  n. 


QUANTITY  IN  EACH 

PART. 

PER    CENT   IN    DIF- 
FERENT  PARTS. 

Leaves  . 

Grammes. 
0.047 
O.OO2 
0.014 
O.OO9 
O.OO6 

Traces. 

60.26 

2.56 

17-95 
11.54 

7-69 

Traces. 

Tassel    

Ears  

Upper  stalk    

Middle  stalk  

Lower  stalk    ... 

Whole  plant  dry 

0.078 

IOO.OO 

POTASH. 

"Berthier's  saying,  'No  plant  without  potash,'  has  become  a  maxim. 


ANALYSIS  AND   COMPOSITION  OF  CORN. 


49 


Table  No.  12. 


QUANTITY  IN  EACH 

PART. 

PER  CENT  IN  EACH 
PART. 

Leaves                                    .              

Grammes. 

OO.  CC 

21.  04 

Tassel    

O.OO6 

2.27 

Ears                                                           

O.IO7 

4.2.  2Q    ' 

Upper  part  stalk                              

0.036 

14.27 

Middle  part  stalk    

0.041 

1  6.  2O 

OOO8 

•j.17 

Whole  plant  dry  

O.2C7 

IOO.OO 

SODA   IN    CORN. 

"  In  the  whole  plant  0.475  grammes,  of  which  two-thirds  accumulated 
in  the  corn  and  one-sixth  in  the  ears. 

LIME    IN    CORN. 

"  Lime  has  been  considered  necessary  to  plant-growth  from  a  very 
ancient  period :  more  than  four-fifths  are  found  in  the  leaves,  only  two 
per  cent  in  the  ear,  and  the  quantity  increases  in  descending  the  stalk. 


MAGNESIA   IN   CORN. 

"The  role  of  magnesia  in  vegetation  has  been  but  little  studied. 
There  is  no  doubt,  however,  after  the  experiments  made  in  Germany, 
that  its  presence  is  indispensable  to  plants.  Two-thirds  of  it  is  found 
in  the  leaves,  and  the  remainder  equally  divided  in  the  other  five  parts 
of  the  plant. 

IRON   IN   MAIZE. 

"  Iron  is  evidently  of  great  importance  to  the  life  of  animals  who  are 
nourished  by  vegetation.  As  with  sulphur,  chlorine,  soda,  lime,  and 
magnesia,  the  greatest  accumulation  is  in  the  leaves.  But  it  is  a  notice- 
able fact  that  it  is  absent  from  the  ear,  which  would  seem  to  explain  the 
opinion  of  physicians  as  to  the  insufficiency  of  corn-meal  for  exclusive 
human  food. 

"  As  to  corn  harvested  green  in  order  to  be  fed  to  cattle  after  Ensi- 
lage, the  lack  of  it  in  the  ear  is  equalized  by  its  presence  in  other  parts 
of  the  plant. 


THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 


SILICA. 


"  It  is  probable  that  all  silica  enters  the  organs  of  vegetation  in  the 
soluble  state.     The  quantity  found  is  very  considerable. 

Table  No.  13. 


QUANTITY  IN  EACH 

PART. 

PER   CENT  IN   DIF- 
FERENT  PARTS. 

Grammes. 
2.84^ 

QO.4C 

Tassel                  .              

O.O26 

0.82 

Ears  

O.OOI 

O.O'? 

Upper  part  of  stalk 

O  O4.0 

I  *?1 

Middle  part  of  stalk              

0.084 

2.67 

Lower  part  of  stalk      

O.I  47 

4-7O 

\Vhole  plant  dry 

314^ 

I  CO  OO 

^•HO 

"  Thus  the  stalk  contains  only  about  one-tenth  part  of  the  amount 
in  the  leaves,  which  contain  90  per  cent  of  the  whole  plant." 

Thus  it  is  seen  by  the  Table  No.  i ,  that  the  ear  with 
cob  and  stem  forms  but  about  one- fifth  of  the  whole 
plant  either  in  its  green  or  its  dry  state.  By  Table  No. 
2,  that  the  leaves  contain  of  solid  material  over  40  per 
cent  of  the  whole  plant.  By  Table  No.  4,  that  of  the 
mineral  constituents  the  leaves  contain  over  three-fourths 
of  all  the  mineral  element  in  the  whole  plant. 

But  referring  to  Table  No.  6  we  find  that  when  none 
of  the  valuable  attributes  of  the  plant  are  lost,  the 
value  of  the  ear  as  compared  to  the  leaves  is  as  2.57 
to  2.54  ;  and,  as  compared  to  the  whole  plant,  as  2.57  to 
6.47.  This  shows  the  stock,  leaves,  and  tassel  to  be 
worth  nearly  three  times  as  much  as  the  ear,  taken  when 
the  ear  is  in  the  milk.  Experiments  made  last  season  in 
the  West  showed  that  hogs  fattened  faster  upon  green 
corn  (probably  past  the  milky  stage)  than  when  fed 
upon  old  corn. 


ANALYSIS  AND   COMPOSITION  OF  CORN.  51 

Table  No.  7  shows  that  the  ear  and  cob  contain  less 
than  one-sixth  as  much  sugar  as  the  whole  plant,  and 
but  little  more  than  two-thirds  as  much  as  the  leaves, 
and  little  more  than  one-fourth  as  much  as  the  stalk. 

While  the  ears  are  richer  in  proportion  to  their  weight 
in  phosphoric  acid, — the  most  expensive  mineral  which 
we  require  to  restore  to  our  long-cropped  fields,  es- 
pecially where  dairying  has  been  pursued,  —  still  Table 
No.  9  shows  that  the  leaves  altogether  contain  one- 
fourth  more  than  the  ear,  and  that  the  ear  contains  but 
32  per  cent  of  that  contained  in  the  whole  plant. 
Tables  10  and  1 1  show  that  the  ears  contain  but  6  per 
cent  of  the  sulphuric  acid,  and  bujt  18  per  cent  of  the 
chlorine.  And  Table  12  is  still  more  instructive;  for  it 
shows  that  the  leaves  contain  more  than  half  as  much 
potash  as  the  ears,  that  the  stalk  contains  nearly  as  much 
as  the  ear,  and  that  the  ear  with  the  cob  and  stem  con- 
tain but  42  per  cent  of  the  potash  contained  in  the 
whole  plant.  Iron  —  that  which  gives  color  not  only  to 
the  beautiful  and  luxurant  vegetation,  but  paints  the  rose 
upon  the  cheek  of  health,  and  gives  vigor  to  the  animal 
system,  and  strength  and  clearness  to  the  human  brain, 
—  is  not  found  in  the  ears  at  all. 

Of  silica  we  find  that  over  ninety  per  cent  is  in  the 
leaves,  while  but  three  one-hundredths  of  one  per  cent 
are  in  the  ear. 

The  lesson  I  wish  to  draw  from  this  summary  is  two- 
fold. First, —  it  is  shown  that  the  ear  contains,  before 
the  stalk  has  lost  by  deterioration  through  exposure  to 
the  weather,  but  a  small  part  of  the  valuable  constitu- 
ents of  the  whole  plant. 

The  following  table,  carefully  compiled  from  the  fore- 
going, gives  the  comparative  value  which  the  ear  bears 
to  the  balance  of  the  plant. 


52  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

Nutritive  Value  of  the  Ear,  compared  to  the  Rest  of    the  Plant. 


IN  THE  EAR. 

IN  BALANCE  OF  THE 

PLANT. 

TOTAL. 

27  2O 

7680 

•6J"1"J 
16.41 

87  CO 

IOO 

Mineral  substances           

6.7Q 

"OOV 
Q-y  21 

IOO 

Phosphoric  acid  

72.O4 

yj.^i 

67.06 

IOO 

Sulphuric  acid    

6.7Q 

Q7.6l 

IOO 

17  QH 

8205 

Potash 

42.2Q 

C7  71 

IOO 

Soda                     .     .               .               .     . 

16.66 

87.74 

IOO 

Lime     

2.OO 

qS.OO 

IOO 

667 

Q-7    -1-J 

IOO 

Trace 

Vj-JJ 
IOO.OO 

IOO 

Silica          .     .          .     . 

O.O7 

QQ.Q7 

IOO 

Now,  all  of  these  mineral  constituents  are  necessary 
for  the  health  and  well-being  of  our  domestic  animals ; 
and  when  corn  is  cured  by  Ensilage  they  are  all  present 
in  solution,  so  that  when  introduced  into  the  alimentary 
canal  such  parts  and  proportions  as  the  animal  economy 
requires  can  be  readily  taken  up  and  assimilated.  Now 
comes  an  almost  equally  important  fact ;  and  it  is  this,  — 
a  very  large  proportion  of  these  mineral  constituents  of 
the  plant  passes  through  the  animals,  and  is  found  in 
their  excrements. 

When  corn  is  preserved  by  Ensilage,  all  of  these 
valuable  mineral  elements  are  in  condition,  when  ap- 
plied in  the  manure  to  the  next  crop,  to  be  immedi- 
ately taken  up  and  assimilated  by  the  growing  plants. 
What  an  immense  saving  is  here !  When  corn-fodder 
is  cured  by  desiccation,  many  of  the  leaves,  that  part  of 
the  plant  which  is  richest  in  mineral  matter,  are  lost, 
being  blown  by  the  winds  into  the  fence-corners,  and 
other  out-of-the-way  places  where  their  mineral  wealth 
is  wasted.  The  stalks  are  not  eaten  and  digested  by  the 


ANALYSIS  AND   COMPOSITION  OF  CORN. 


53 


animals,  are  a  nuisance  in  the  manure-pile,  and  are  at 

least  two  years  in  becoming  sufficiently  decomposed  in 

the  field,  so  that  their  mineral  fertilizing  material  is  in 
condition  for  the  growing  plant  to  avail  itself  of. 


CHAPTER  VIII. 

EXPLANATIONS    WHY    ENSILAGE    MUST    KEEP. 

MANY  farmers  and  others  came  to  see  the  process  of 
filling  the  Silo  with  the  green  corn-fodder ;  nearly  all 
declared  that  it  would  spoil,  mould,  heat,  and  rot.  Sev- 
eral said,  "  I  guess  you  will  have  a  fine  lot  of  manure 
before  winter."  I  replied,  "  Gentlemen,  it  will  not  spoil 
at  all ;  it  will  not  even  heat :  it  will  come  out  just  as 
good  feeding  stuff  as  it  is  now,  and  I  think  better." 

None  of  them  believed  a  word  I  said,  it  was  plain  to 
be  seen.  They  were  certain  that  this  last  of  my  "  new- 
fangled notions  "  would  prove  a  complete  failure,  and 
they  would  have  the  laugh  on  me  this  time.  Some 
endeavored  to  cheer  me  up  by  saying  that  "  even  if  it 
did  not  work  well  for  the  purpose  I  intended,  the  Silos 
would  be  a  capital  place  to  store  fruit  in,  so  that  it  won't 
be  all  loss,  any  way." 

This  kind  of  talk  had  been  going  on  for  several  days, 
and  was,  I  confess,  getting  to  be  rather  monotonous. 
One  day  a  number  of  well-meaning  but  incredulous 
neighboring  farmers  were  present.  They  knew  nothing 
of  agricultural  chemistry,  or  the  philosophy  of  its  pres- 
ervation ;  but  I  made  up  my  mind  I  would  convince  them 
that  the  green  corn-fodder  would  keep  instead  of  rotting  : 

therefore  I  said,  "  You  think  it  will  heat  and  spoil,  do 

• 

54 


EXPLANATIONS   WHY  ENSILAGE  MUST  KEEP.       55 

you?"  —  "Yes,  I  am  afraid  it  will,"  said  they  each  and 
all."  —  "  Now,  I  tell  you  it  won't  do  any  such  thing." 
"  Why  won't  it  ?  what  makes  you  think  so  ?  "  they  asked. 
I  knew  that  I  might  quote  M.  Goffart,  and  all  the  agri- 
cultural scientists  in  the  world  to  them  till  doomsday, 
and  it  would  have  no  impression  on  their  minds,  so  I 
took  homely  illustrations.  Said  I,  "  Why  doesn't  a  pile 
of  horse-manure  heat  when  it  is  left  in  the  stable  all 
winter  under  the  feet  of  the  horses,  until  it  gets  three  or 
four  feet  deep  ?  Why  doesn't  sheep-manure  heat  when 
it  is  left  all  winter  in  the  sheep-folds,  and  becomes  a  foot 
and  a  half  to  two  feet  deep?  "  —  "  Because  it  is  trod  down 
so  solid,  the  air  can't  get  into  it."  —  "  Just  so!  that  is  the 
reason  this  corn-fodder  won't  heat  and  spoil :  it  is  '  trod 
down'  so  solid  that  the  air  cannot  get  into  it,"  I  rejoined. 
This  was  rather  a  staggerer.  "  Is  there  any  thing  which 
is  quicker  to  heat  when  it  has  a  chance  than  horse  or 
sheep  manure?"  I  asked.  "  No-o-o,"  they  reluctantly 
admitted.  "  Now  see  here,"  said  I :  "  haven't  you  all 
noticed  in  the  spring,  when  you  were  getting  out  your 
hog-manure,  that  you  often  came  across,  in  the  bottom 
of  the  yards,  buried  under  the  manure,  potato-vines  and 
weeds  which  had  been  thrown  in  to  the  hogs  the  fall 
before,  that  were  just  as  green  and  fresh  as  when  they 
were  first  pulled  out  of  the  ground?"*  They  all  replied, 
"  Yes,  we  have." 

BILLERICA,  April  21,  1880. 

*  MY  GOOD  DOCTOR, — According  to  request  I  send  you  an  account  of  the  find- 
ing of  a  fresh  and  perfectly  preserved  lily-pad,  six  or  seven  feet  below  the  surface 
of  one  of  our  Concord-river  meadows.  It  was  in  perfect  shape,  and  as  green  and 
healthy-looking  as  in  its  prime  of  life.  Having  a  love  for  geological  researches,  and 
thinking  these  meadows  had  some  time  been  deposited  by  the  river,  I  concluded  to 
make  an  examination.  At  the  top  I  found  a  foot  in  depth  of  black  meadow  soil ; 
then,  next  below,  another  foot  in  depth  of  diatomacious  deposit  of  microscopic  shells, 
composed  entirely  of  pure  silex,  so  small  that  they  make  a  good  silver-polish.  I  then 
came  to  a  pure  vegetable  deposit,  consisting  of  sticks  and  leaves,  four  feet  deep. 
At  the  bottom  of  this  I  found  green  and  well-preserved  lily-pads,  clam-shells,  char- 


56  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

"  Well,  "  said  I,  "  my  Ensilage  will  keep  just  the  same 
way.  I  trample  it  down  solid  as  it  is  put  in  the  Silos, 
cover  it  with  rye-straw,  then  floor  it  over  with  plank,  and 
put  about  a  foot  in  depth  of  cobble-stones  or  bowlders 
which  will  press  it  down  solid  as  a  cider-cheese.  No  air 
can  then  get  in.  The  air  and  gases  already  in  will  be 
continually  being  forced  out  by  the  weight.  Therefore 
it  cannot  heat  any  more  than  the  horse  and  sheep 
manure  can  when  it  is  trodden  down  compactly."  They 
were  silenced. 

Pretty  soon  one  old  farmer  who  has  got  a  great  deal 
of  good,  hard,  sound  sense  in  his  head,  slowly  looked 
round,  and  still  more  deliberately  said,  "  By  Horn,  I've 
changed  my  mind !  I  believe  it  will  keep.  But  you  will 
have  to  feed  it  all  out  before  the  weather  begins  to  get 
warm  in  the  spring,  won't  you  ?  "  —  "  No,"  I  replied  :  "  the 
outside  temperature  has  nothing  to  do  with  its  keeping. 
Won't  a  pile  of  horse  or  sheep  manure  '  heat '  and  '  burn ' 
if  it  lies  up  loose  so  that  the  air  can  get  at  it  in  the  win- 
ter, be  it  ever  so  cold,  just  as  badly  as  in  the  hottest  days 
of  summer?" 

"  Well,  there  ain't  much  difference,"  said  he.  "  Now,  it 
is  just  the  same  with  Ensilage,"  I  replied.  "If  it  does 
not  '  heat '  in  the  winter,  it  will  not  in  the  summer.  It 
is  the  presence  of  air,  or  rather  of  the  pxygen  in  the  air, 
which  causes  manure  or  any  damp  mass  of  organic  mat- 
ter to  ferment  or  decay."  —  "  Well,"  said  he,  as  he  started 
for  his  team,  "  as  I  said  afore,  I  believe  it  will  come  out 
all  right."  The  rest  of  them  said  nothing ;  and  whether 
all  of  them  have  found  out  to  this  time  that  it  does  keep, 

coal,  and  sticks  with  marks  of  beaver-teeth,  all  in  a  fine  state  of  preservation.  These 
deposits  must  have  been  preserved  here,  perfectly  excluded  from  light  and  air,  for  at 
least  a  thousand  years. 

Very  respectfully, 

DANIEL  PARKER,  M.D. 


EXPLANATIONS   WHY  ENSILAGE  MUST  KEEP.       57 

or  not,  I  am  unable  to  say.  One  thing  is  certain  :  they 
were  silenced  for  once. 

Now,  my  explanation  why  it  keeps,  and  why  it  is  some- 
what sour,  is  this  :  — 

When  it  is  cut  ever  so  fine,  and  trodden  down  ever  so 
vigorously,  still  there  is  some  air  left  in  the  little  spaces 
between  the  pieces  of  the  stalks  ;  and  the  dried  leaves,  if 
there  are  any,  are  full  of  air  which  has  taken  the  place  of 
the  sap  which  has  evaporated.  Large  stalks,  after  being 
cut  four-tenths  of  an  inch  long,  are  finer  than  small  ones ; 
which  is  one  reason  among  several  why  the  corn  which 
grows  the  largest  is  the  best  for  Ensilage.  The  oxygen 
in  this  amount  of  air  —  be  it  greater  or  smaller  —  im- 
mediately starts  a  fermentation.  Fermentation,  mould, 
decay,  rot,  and  fire  are  all  identical.  The  only  difference 
is  in  the  degree  of  speed  with  which  the  combustion 
goes  on.  They  all  alike  depend  upon  the  presence  of 
oxygen,  and  cease  when  this  active  agent  of  destruction 
is  removed.  The  process  of  combustion,  whether  slow 
or  rapid,  consumes  oxygen,  and  gives  out  carbonic  acid 
gas. 

This  fermentation  consumes  the  small  amount  of  oxy- 
gen which  is  contained  in  the  mass  of  Ensilage,  and 
liberates  an  amount  of  carbonic  acid  gas  which  takes  the 
place  of  the  oxygen.  The  fermentation  in  its  incipient 
stage  is  arrested  for  want  of  oxygen.  None  can  get  in 
from  the  top  ;  for  the  compression  which  is  constantly 
going  on  is  all  the  time  forcing  the  gases  out,  and  where 
there  is  ever  so  slight  a  flow  out,  none  can  possibly  flow 
in.  Then,  as  the  carbonic  acid  gas  is  heavier  than  the 
atmosphere,  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  Silo  being  tight, 
and  as  the  carbonic  acid  gas  cannot  leak  out,  the  air 
cannot  get  down  into  the  space  occupied  by  the  carbonic 
acid  gas,  any  more  than  air  can  get  down  into  a  jug  filled 


58  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

with  water  or  other  heavy  liquid  until  the  water  or  other 
liquid  is  poured  or  leaks  out.  The  Ensilage  is  tJms 
immersed  in  a  bath  of  carbonic  acid  gas.  Fermentation 
under  such  circumstances  is  an  impossibility. 


CHAPTER  IX. 

ENSILAGE   ADAPTED   TO   WARM   AS   WELL   AS   COLD    CLIMATES. 

RIGHT  here  let  me  reply  to  an  opinion  which  I  saw 
expressed  in  a  Southern  paper  which  was  commenting 
upon  the  success  which  had  attended  the  "  Winning- 
Farm"  Ensilage  experiment:  "We  understand  Dr.  Bai- 
ley intends  to  try  the  experiment  at  'Virginia  Stock 
Farm.'  We  shall  await  the  result  of  his-  trial  with  a 
great  deal  of  interest,  and  hope  he  will  succeed  equally 
well ;  but  we  fear  that  while  this  system  of  preserving 
green  forage-crops  will  doubtless  prove  of  incalculable 
benefit  to  the  North,  we  do  not  think  it  will  answer  in 
as  warm  a  climate  as  Virginia." 

If  any  of  my  fellow  farmers  in  Virginia  or  other  South- 
ern States  have  the  same  fear,  let  me  call  their  attention 
to  the  fact  that  the  climate  of  that  part  of  France  where 
M.  Goffart  has  been  so  successful  in  preserving  fodder 
by  Ensilage  is  nearly  if  not  quite  as  warm  as  Virginia, 
Kentucky,  Tennessee,  or  Missouri ;  and  also  to  the  rea- 
sons given  in  the  preceding  chapter.  I  believe  the 
system  is  equally  applicable  wherever  the  winter's  cold 
or  the  droughts  of  summer  necessitate  the  preservation 
of  forage  for  the  food  of  domestic  animals. 

The  sourness  or  acidity  which  is,  I  believe,  always 
present  in  a  greater  or  less  degree,  especially  if  the 

59 


60  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

corn  is  allowed  to  stand  in  the  field  until  the  ear  is  fully 
formed,  is  far  from  being  an  injury:  on  the  contrary, 
it  is  probably  an  advantage.  Nearly  if  not  all  of  our 
domestic  animals  gain  faster  when  their  food  is  allowed 
to  stand  and  ferment  until  more  or  less  sour  before 
feeding. 

This  has  been  demonstrated  at  the  Massachusetts 
Agricultural  College.  There  all  food  is  chopped  and 
steamed.  By  actual  experiments  it  was  noticed  that  the 
animal  gained  faster,  and  had  a  better  appetite,  when  the 
steamed  food  was  allowed  to  stand  twenty-four  hours,  at 
least,  to  ferment  until  there  was  a  perceptible  degree  of 
sourness,  than  when  fed  upon  the  same  food  before  any 
such  change  had  taken  place. 

In  regard  to  swine,  every  farmer  knows  that  they  gain 
faster  upon  sour,  not  putrid  food,  than  upon  sweet. 

The  other  day  a  neighbor  of  mine,  a  most  excellent 
farmer,  called  to  see  Ensilage.  He  winters  about  60 
head  of  cattle.  He  informed  me  that  several  years  ago 
he  began  to  cut  his  hay  and  other  fodder,  and  mix  his 
grain  with  the  cut  fodder,  wetting  it  thoroughly  with 
boiling  water.  He  found  a  very  considerable  gain  in  so 
doing.  About  three  years  ago  he  began  to  mix  and  wet 
with  boiling  water  a  day's  feed  for  his  stock,  and  let  it 
stand  twenty-four  hours  before  feeding,  during  which 
time  it  ferments  and  becomes  quite  sour.  He  informed 
me  that  his  stock  ate  it  better  for  the  fermentation,  and 
that  there  is  a  saving  of  at  least  50  per  cent  in  the 
amount  of  hay  they  required,  from  the  amount  they 
required  if  fed  dry  and  uncut.  His  process,  doubtless, 
has  somewhat  the  same  effect  in  facilitating  the  diges- 
tion and  assimilation  of  the  starch  and  other  nutritive 
elements  in  the  fodder  as  is  produced  by  Ensilaging. 

Among  the  many  minor  advantages  to  be  gained  by 


ENSILAGE  ADAPTED    TO    WARM  CLIMATES.          6 1 

adopting  the  system  of  Ensilage  is  the  lessening  of  the 
danger  from  fire.  The  tramp  with  his  pipe,  or  the  in- 
cendiary with  his  match,  would  have  hard  work  to  raise 
much  of  a  blaze  in  a  Silo  with  nothing  but  Ensilage  for 
fuel. 

Another  is,  the  crop  can  be  all  planted  at  one  time. 
Large  lands  can  be  ploughed  and  harrowed,  long  rows 
planted  admitting  the  use  of  agricultural  implements  to 
greater  advantage,  and  much  less  time  consumed  in 
turning  corners.  The  work  can  be  not  only  accom- 
plished in  less  time,  but  easier  and  better. 

The  dairyman  and  stock-raiser  can  systemize  their 
work.  They  will  have  all  winter  to  get  put  their  manure, 
which  they  can  spread  broadcast  upon  the  winter  rye. 
They  will  have  no  spring's  work  except  to  "  slick  up," 
repair  fences,  &c.,  see  to  the  kitchen  and  fruit  garden. 
They  can  now  find  time  to  trim  their  orchards,  to  graft 
over  trees  which  bear  undesirable  fruit,  and  to  put  out 
that  "  little  patch  of  strawberries,"  which  they  have  been 
promising  the  good  wife  so  long,  but  which  they  never 
before,  in  the  hurry  of  their  spring's  work,  could  get  time 
to  attend  to. 

Then,  when  all  the  little  jobs  that  ought  to  be  attended 
to  in  the  spring  are  done  up,  the  potatoes  planted,  and 
the  pleasant  days  of  May  have  come,  the  broad  fields  of 
waving  rye  are  beginning  to  show  their  shining  heads, 
and  the  time  for  work  is  here. 

If  the  farmer  I  am  writing  about  now,  is  a  worker,  and 
economical,  —  and  he  is  both, — he  has  been  changing 
work  with  his  neighbors,  helping  them  get  their  spring's 
work  done ;  and  now  they  come  with  their  cradles,  and  in 
three  days  the  20  acres  of  rye  are  all  safely  housed.  Or, 
if  he  has  a  reaper,  —  which  he  has  not,  —  it  can  be  done 
in  one  day.  No  waiting  for  fair  weather :  a  cloudy  day 


62  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

is  just  as  good  as  any ;  even  if  it  rains  a  little,  no  need 
for  the  work  to  stop.  Tis  but  the  work  of  a  couple  of 
hours  to  replace  the  plank  covering,  throw  on  the  bowl- 
ders, and  the  rye  Ensilage  is  saved. 

Now  comes  ploughing-in,  the  rye  stubble.  Three  or 
four  teams  make  quick  work  of  the  2O-acre  field.  I  use 
the  Cassidy  sulky  plough.  It  saves  not  only  the  labor  of 
holding  the  plough,  but  does  the  work  better.  Land  sot 
hard  that  it  cannot  be  ploughed  with  a  common  plough  is 
turned  over  without  difficulty.  It  is  much  easier  for  the 
team.  You  can  turn  corners  quicker,  and  plough  closer 
to  fences.  At  "  Virginia  Stock  Farm  "  we  averaged  with 
each  pair  of  horses  20  acres  per  week.  For  ploughing 
under  weeds  or  green  crops,  nothing  is  equal  to  it.  It 
is  smoothed  and  fined  in  one  day  by  a  boy  and  a  pair  of 
horses  with  the  Thomas  smoo thing-harrow.  In  four 
days  the  farmer  himself  can  plant  it  in  drills  3^  feet 
apart,  using  one  bushel  of  seed  to  the  acre,  with  one 
horse  and  an  Albany  planter.  Or  if  he  has  a  Farm- 
er's Favorite  grain-drill,  with  a  pair  of  horses,  he  can 
plant  it  in  less  than  two  days,  at  the  same  time  distrib- 
uting a  little  fertilizer  in  the  drill.  (This  will  pay,  no 
matter  how  rich  your  land  is.) 

Every  farmer  ought  to  have  a  Farmer's  Favorite 
grain-drill,  if  he  raises  20  acres  of  Ensilage. 

With  it  he  can  drill  in  his  rye  after  his  corn  is  cut, 
which  is  better  than  broadcasting,  can  save  ten  bushels 
of  seed,  and  will  have  a  better  crop. 

It  has  two  sets  of  "feed-cups,"  which  make  it  the  best 
combined  grain-drill  and  corn-planter  in  the  world. 

If  he  thinks  he  cannot  afford  the  Farmer's  Favorite 
grain-drill,  he  must  have  an  Albany  seed-sower  and  corn- 
planter. 

After  his  corn  is  planted,  he  has  nothing  to  do  but 


ENSILAGE  ADAPTED    TO    WARM  CLIMATES.          6l 

\J 

look  after  his  stock,  attend  to  the  garden,  and  live  the 
life  .an  American  farmer  ought  to  live.  A  boy  and  a 
pair  of  horses  with  the  Thomas  smoothing-harrow  one 
day  in  a  week  will  keep  the  corn  free  from  weeds, 
the  soil  completely  pulverized,  inducing  absorption  and 
preventing  evaporation,  until  the  corn  is  a  foot  high. 
Then,  when  it  is  about  waist  high,  he  will  want  one 
of  Timothy  B.  Hussey's  Centennial  improved  horse- 
hoes.  With  it  he  can  hoe  five  to  seven  acres  a  day 
better  than  it  can  possibly  be  done  by  hand,  killing  and 
burying  up  every  weed,  and  throwing  just  earth  enough 
around  the  stalks  to  strengthen  them  and  prevent  the 
wind  from  breaking  them  over.  Corn  is  growing  very 
rapidly  now,  and  is  very  tender,  and  I  think  is  better  for 
a  little  hilling.  By  the  way,  let  me  say  here  that  I  have 
a  quantity  of  seed-corn  expressly  raised  for  me  for 
Ensilage.  I  tested  it  last  year  on  a  small  scale.  I  had 
single  stalks  which  before  the  tassel  was  in  sight  weighed 
nine  pounds  ;  others  when  fully  grown  with  the  grain  in 
the  milk  weighed  over  15  pounds  each.  I  can  safely 
guarantee  this  corn  if  planted  upon  good  corn  land,  in 
good  condition  well  manured,  with  proper  cultivation  to 
produce  from  40  to  75  tons  to  the  acre  of  green  fodder 
just  right  for  Ensilage.  The  stalk  is  extremely  sweet 
and  succulent ;  some  of  them  being  over  six  inches  in 
circumference  and  14  feet  high,  with  an  immense  amount 
of  long,  broad  leaves,  some  of  which  measured  four  feet 
ten  inches  in  length,  and  61  inches  in  width.  It  will  not 
require  more  than  half  a  bushel  to  plant  an  acre  (of  other 
kinds  one  bushel  is  needed)  ;  so  that,  although  it  is  some- 
what high-priced  by  the  pound  or  bushel,  it  does  not  cost 
so  very  much  more  by  the  acre.  It  should  be  planted  in 
drills  four  feet  apart,  with  the  stalks  six  to  eight  inches 
apart  in  the  rows.  Be  sure  and  not  get  it  too  thick, 


64  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

for  it  throws  out  a  great  number  of  suckers,  and  to  yield 
a  large  crop  must  have  room  and  air.  I  will  send  sam- 
ple bags  of  this  Mammoth  Ensilage  corn  by  mail, 
containing  one  pound,  on  receipt  of  60  cents  ;  three 
pounds,  $1.50  ;  by  express  or  freight,  half  a  peck,  #1.25  ; 
one  peck,  $2.00;  half  a  bushel,  $3.00;  one  bushel, 
$5.00;  two  bushels  or  more,  $4.00  per  bushel.  No 
charge  for  bags. 

It  is  a  waste  of  time  to  plant  common  sweet  corn. 
None  of  it  is  as  sweet  as  this  Ensilage  corn,  nor  as 
nutritious,  and  it  will  not  yield  one-third  as  much  ;  be- 
sides it  is  much  easier  to  cut  up  a  ton  of  large  stalks  than 
a  ton  of  small  ones.  It  is  just  as  easy  to  cut  with  the  cut- 
ter, easier  to  feed  into  the  cutter,  and,  when  cut,  the  disks 
split  into  small  pieces,  so  that  the  Ensilage  is  as  fine  as 
if  the  stalks  were  small,  and  packs  closer  in  the  Silo. 
There  is  every  advantage  in  growing  the  Mammoth 
Ensilage  corn. 

Now  I  want  to  say  something  about  fodder-cutters. 
We  must  have  a  self-feeding  machine,  which  will  cut  or 
shred  (which  would  be  better,  as  it  would  pack  closer, 
thereby  excluding  the  air  more  completely)  at  least  sixty 
tons  per  day  without  any  labor  on  the  part  of  the  men 
tending  it,  except  that  required  to  throw  the  fodder  in 
armfuls  upon  the  apron  of  the  machine. 

I  think  I  have  found  it  in  Baldwin's  Improved  Ameri- 
can fodder-cutter.  I  shall  try  it  this  spring  when  I 
Ensilage  my  rye,  and,  if  satisfactory  upon  trial,  will  in  a 
second  edition  (if  one  is  called  for)  tell  you  all  about 
it.  One  thing  I  will  say  now:  a  cutter  which  has  but  one 
feed-roller  will  not  answer.  There  must  be  two  rollers, 
the  top  one  fluted,  the  bottom  roller  smooth,  between 
which  the  fodder  must  pass.  The  top  roller  must  be 
geared  to  rise  and  fall,  to  adjust  itself  so  that  a  large  or 


ENSILAGE  ADAPTED    TO    WARM  CLIMATES.          65 

small  amount  of  fodder  will  be  fed  with  the  same  speed 
and  regularity. 

Baldwin's  fodder-cutter  I  believe  to  be  the  best  cut- 
ting machine  for  Ensilaging  purposes  on  the  market. 

I  think  tearing  or  shredding  the  stalks  would  be  much 
better  than  cutting.  The  fodder  shredded  must  pack 
closer,  thereby  giving  less  room  for  air.  I  have  invented, 
and  am  perfecting-,  a  machine  which  will  cut  and  shred 
fodder  of  all  kinds,  with  the  expenditure  of  one-half  the 
power  all  other  machines  I  have  seen  require  to  do  the 
same  work.  I  utilize  a  principle  never  before  made  use 
of  in  fodder-cutters.  I  hope  to  have  it  completed,  and 
be  able  to  furnish  it  in  season  for  the  Ensilaging  of 
the  corn.  To  successfully  preserve  green  fodder,  three 
things  are  essential :  first,  that  the  fodder  shall  be  in  as 
fine  a  condition  as  possible  so  as  to  compact ;  second, 
that  the  Silos  shall  be  air  and  water  tight  on  the  sides 
and  bottom  ;  third,  that  sufficient  weight  shall  be  placed 
upon  it  in  order  to  press  out  all  or  nearly  all  of  the  air. 
If  the  air  can  be  all  forced  out,  there  will  be  no  fermen- 
tation, and  the  Ensilage  will  keep  indefinitely  in  the 
same  condition  as  when  put  into  the  Silo.  In  that  case, 
in  order  to  receive  the  full  benefit  of  the  system  of  En- 
silage, it  will  be  necessary  to  pile  up  the  Ensilage  upon 
the  stable  floor  twelve  to  twenty- four  hours,  until  active 
fermentation  takes  place,  before  feeding,  that  the  bene- 
fits of  fermentation  may  be  secured  as  explained  in  the 
following  chapter. 


CHAPTER  X. 

A   NEW   DISCOVERY. 

DURING  my  investigations  and  experiments  it  occurred 
to  me  that  it  would  be  a  great  improvement  to  mix  the 
concentrated  nitrogenous  grain,  such  as  the  refuse  from 
flour-mills,  wheat,  rye,  or  buckwheat  bran,  shorts  or  mid- 
dlings, the  refuse  grains  and  feeding-stuff  from  brewer- 
ies, or  prepared  animal  food  from  fish  and  meat  scraps, 
such  as  Bowker's  animal  meal,  fish-scrap  prepared  by 
Goodale's  process  or  otherwise,  with  the  green  corn-stalks 
or  other  forage  crops  at  the  time  of  Ensilaging. 

For  while  the  Ensilaging  of  green  corn,  rye,  and  other 
succulent  forage-crops  is  an  immense  advance  over  the 
old  system  of  curing  forage-crops  by  desiccation,  and 
while  such  Ensilage  is  a  most  excellent  and  succulent 
food  for  all  domestic  animals,  still  it  is  by  no  means  a 
perfect  food,  being  deficient  in  albuminoids:  therefore  it 
is  necessary  to  add  to  the  ration  of  Ensilage  a  certain 
amount  of  concentrated  nitrogenous  food  in  the  form  of 
grain,  or  animal-scrap-meal,  or  other  concentrated  cattle 
foods  containing  albuminoids  to  excess. 

Animals  fed  exclusively  upon  Ensilaged  corn  will 
become  fat,  dull,  heavy,  and  lymphatic,  the  nervous  and 
muscular  systems  not  receiving  that  degree  of  nutrition 
which  they  require  for  their  full  development. 


,,, 


A    NEW  DISCOVERY.  67 

Starch,  the  chief  nutritive  element  in  corn  and  other 
carbonaceous  plants,  is  almost  identical  in  its  chemical 
constituents  with  sugar.  But  it  is  difficult  to  digest,  by 
reason  of  the  toughness  of  the  envelope  which  encloses 
the  starch-cell. 

The  gastric  juice  of  the  stomach  being  able  to  dissolve 
but  a  part  of  them,  the  remainder  passes  from  the  ani- 
mal in  its  excrement,  and  is  lost. 

The  softening  and  fermentive  process  through  which 
the  Ensilage  passes  in  the  Silo  bursts  the  starch-cells, 
and  converts  the  starch  into  sugar,  as  is  evinced  by  the 
strong  odor  of  alcohol  which  is  emitted  when  the  Ensi- 
lage is  exposed  to  the  action  of  the  oxygen  in  the 
atmosphere.  The  digestion  of  the  Ensilage  is  thus  ren- 
dered easier,  and  its  assimilation  more  perfect. 

By  mixing  the  concentrated  nitrogenous  food  with  the 
comminuted  forage  at  the  time  of  Ensilaging,  the  labor 
of  fqeding  the  concentrated  nitrogenous  food  is  reduced 
to  a  minimum. 

The  nitrogenous  food  is  also  subjected  to  the  same 
softening  and  fermentive  process.  The  carbo-hydrates  in 
it  (composed  largely  of  starch)  are  liberated,  and  fitted 
for  easy  digestion  and  assimilation.  The  albuminoids 
(which  contain  the  nitrogen)  are  also  rendered  more 
digestible  and  assimilable  by  this  process  of  maceration 
and  fermentation,  which  has  the  same  effect  substan- 
tially upon  them  as  that  which  is  produced  by  the  pro- 
cess of  steaming  or  cooking. 

The  concentrated  food  should  be  added  in  such 
amounts  that  the  mixture  shall  contain  the  proper  com- 
parative amounts  of  albuminoids  and  carbo-hydrates 
which  are  best  adapted  to  the  sustenance  and  growth  of 
our  domestic  animals.  An  addition  of  about  ten  per 
cent  of  wheat-bran  to  the  corn-fodder  would  make  the 


68  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

mixture  about  equal  to  the  best  clover  hay,  and  would 
be  admirably  adapted  for  milch-cows,  young  and  growing 
cattle,  and  colts.  It  is  also  excellent  for  breeding-ewes, 
and  for  swine  nothing  could  be  better. 

The  great  importance  of  this  new  discovery,  both  in  the 
saving  of  labor  and  increasing  the  nutritive  value  of  the 
concentrated  food  over  that  which  it  has  when  fed  in  a 
dry  and  raw  state,  and  the  fear  that  some  avaricious  per- 
son might  take  out  letters-patent  upon  the  process,  and 
seek  to  prevent  the  full  benefits  of  this  great  and 
improved  system  of  Ensilage  from  being  adopted,  by 
exorbitant  claims  for  royalty,  has  induced  me  to  make 
application  for  a  patent  upon  the  process  of  mixing  con- 
centrated nitrogenous  cattle-foods  with  the  comminut- 
ed green  corn,  rye,  or  other  succulent  forage  at  the  time 
of  Ensilaging  the  same,  in  such  proportions  as  shall  give 
to  the  mixture  the  proper  amounts  of  albuminoids  and 
carbo-hydrates  which  are  best  adapted  to  the  growth  and 
subsistence  of  our  domestic  animals.  Besides  the  labor 
saved  in  feeding  (at  least  $1.50  for  each  ton  of  grain), 
and  the  increased  value  by  facilitating  digestion  (fully  ten 
per  cent) ,  is  the  certainty  that  each  animal  will  get  its 
ration,  and  no  more.  No  heedless  stable-boy  will  empty 
two  measures  of  grain  into  one  cow's  manger,  and  give 
none  to  the  next,  thereby  depriving  one  of  the  necessary 
food,  and  impairing  the  digestion  of  the  other  by  an 
overfeed. 


CHAPTER  XI. 

FOOD    INGREDIENTS. CHEMICAL   TERMS    EXPLAINED. 

WATER.  —  If  a  piece  of  wood  or  wisp  of  hay  be  dried  some  time  in 
a  hot  oven,  more  or  less  water  will  be  driven  off.  The  water  in  feeding- 
stuffs  varies  from  So  to  90  pounds  in  every  100  pounds  of  young  grass 
or  foddcr-com,  to  only  8  or  10  pounds  to  the  100  in  dry  straw  or  hay. 

ORGANIC  SUBSTANCE.  —  If  the  dried  wood  or  hay  be  burned,  most  of 
it  will  pass  oil  as  gas,  vapor,  or  smoke.  The  part  thus  burned  away  is 
the  organic  substance.  The  residue  :  — 

THE  ASH  contains  the  mineral  matters,  that  is,  the  potash,  lime,  phos- 
phoric acid,  <Scc.,  of  the  plant.  The  most  important  part  for  our  present 
purpose  is  the  organic,  the  combustible  matter.  This  consists  of  three 
kinds  of  ingredients,  albuminoids,  carbo-hydrates,  and  fats.  The  main 
point  in  economical  feeding  is  to  secure  the  right  proportions  of  these 
at  the  lowest  cost. 

ALBUMINOIDS  —  also  called  protein  compounds,  proteids,  and  flesh- 
formers  —  contain  carbon,  oxygen,  hydrogen  and  nitrogen.  Thus  they 
differ  from  the  carbo-hydrates  and  fats,  which  contain  no  nitrogen. 
The  name  albuminoids  comes  from  albumen,  which  we  know  very  well 
as  the  whites  of  eggs,  and  it  is  found  in  milk.  The  fibrin  of  bone  and 
muscle  (lean  meat)  and  the  casein  (curd)  of  milk  are  also  albuminoids. 
Indeed,  the  solid  part  of  blood,  nerves,  lean  meat,  gristle,  skin,  &c.,  con- 
sist chiefly  of  albuminoids.  In  plants  they  are  equally  important ;  plant 
albumen  occurs  in  nearly  all  vegetable  juices,  especially  in  potatoes  and 
wheat,  casein  or  legumin  in  beans  and  peas,  and  fibrin  in  the  gluten  of 
wheat,  the  basis  of  what  farmer-boys  call  "  wheat  gum."  Clover,  bran, 
beans,  peas,  oil-cake,  and  flesh  and  meat-scrap  are  rich  in  albuminoids. 

CARBO-HYDRATES  consist  of  carbon  and  hydrogen.  The  most  impor- 
tant arc  starch,  sugar,  and  cellulose  (woody  fibre) .  They  make  up  a 

69 


70  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

larger  part  of  the  solids  of  plants,  but  only  a  little  of  them  is  stored  in 
the  animal  body.  Potatoes,  wheat,  poor  hay,  straw,  and  cornstalks  con- 
sist largely  of  carbo-hydrates. 

FATS  have  more  carbon  than  carbo-hydrates,  and  like  them  have  no 
nitrogen.  Fat  meat,  tallow,  lard,  fish-oil,  the  fat  (butter)  of  milk,  and 
linseed  oil  are  familiar  examples  of  fats.  Indian  corn,  oil-cake,  cotton- 
seed and  linseed,  are  rich  in  fatty  matters."  [The  last  three  are  also 
rich  in  albuminoids.]  — From  American  Agriculturist,  January,  2879. 


CHAPTER  XII. 

CAPACITY   OF    SILOS. 

A  CUBIC  foot  of  Ensilage  weighs  from  40  to  50  pounds ; 
a  daily  ration  for  a  cow  is  50  to  60  pounds  :  therefore  it 
is  only  necessary  to  allow  one-and-one-half  cubic  feet  for 
each  cow  daily,  to  tell  how  large  a  Silo  is  wanted.  First 
let  the  stock-raiser  or  dairyman  decide  how  many  head 
of  stock  he  wants  to  keep :  the  number  he  has  kept  will 
be  no  criterion. 

"  Winning  Farm"  three  years  ago  could  keep  but  six 
head  of  cows  and  one  horse  :  now  35  cattle,  5  horses, 
and  125  sheep  are  kept,  and  there  is  every  probability 
of  doubling  the  number  next  season.  One  cubic  foot 
will  keep  a  sheep  a  week  in  good  condition.  According 
to  the  rule  laid  down  above,  it  will  require  547^  cubic 
feet  of  Ensilage  to  keep  one  cow  one  year.  To  keep 
two  cows,  a  Silo  is  required  ten  feet  wide,  ten  feet  long, 
and  ten  feet  deep.  This  would  hold  about  twenty-five 
tons,  and  could  be  grown  upon  one-half  acre  of  rich, 
warm  land.  For  four  cows  it  should  be  built  twice  as 
long.  It  will  only  be  necessary  to  have  your  Silos  con- 
tain 550  cubic  feet  for  each  cow's  subsistence  for  twelve 
months.  If  the  cows  are  pastured  six  months  of  the 
year,  then  275  cubic  feet  of  Ensilage  will  be  sufficient 
for  each  cow.  It  is  very  important  that  the  sides  should 
be  perpendicular,  and  smoothly  plastered  with  a  cement- 
plaster,  so  that  the  Ensilage  will  settle  evenly,  and  in 


72  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

order  that  the  plank  covering  may  have  nothing  to  catch 
upon  as  it  settles  under  the  heavy  weights  placed  upon  it. 

Small  Silos,  capable  of  holding  enough  Ensilage  for 
ten  to  twenty  cows,  can  be  constructed  by  digging  and 
walling  up,  as  for  a  cellar,  when  stone  is  plenty.  Mix 
one  part  cement  with  two  parts  sand,  and  make  a  con- 
crete floor  about  one  inch  thick.  Put  a  cheap  battened 
roof  over  it  to  keep  the  rain  and  snow  out,  and  you 
have  just  as  good  a  Silo  as  any.  One  12  feet  wide,  30 
feet  long,  and  12  feet  deep,  would  not  cost,  besides  the 
labor,  over  fifty  dollars,  and  would  hold  enough  Ensi- 
lage to  winter  12  to  15  cows,  or  about  175,000  pounds, 
or  87^  tons.  (See  cut  on  opposite  page.)  This  can 
easily  be  produced  upon  two  acres  of  suitable  land  prop- 
erly prepared. 

Two  feet  in  depth  daily  is  fast  enough  to  fill  the  Silo. 
This  rate  is  better  than  to  fill  faster ;  as  the  Ensilage  will 
settle  better,  and  there  will  be  less  space  lost  by  settling 
at  the  top  of  the  Silos.  If  an  accident  to  cutter  or 
power,  or  if  any  untoward  incident,  stops  the  filling  of 
the  Silo  for  one,  two,  or  even  three  days  when  it  is  partly 
full,  no  injury  will  be  done  to  the  Ensilage,  providing 
one  or  two  men  (according  to  size  of  Silo)  are  kept 
constantly  trampling  upon  it,  so  as  to  keep  the  Ensilage 
compact.  If  it  begins  to  dry  or  heat  on  top,  take  a 
garden  watering-pot  and  sprinkle  over  it  to  supply  the 
loss  from  evaporation. 

Two  small  Silos  are  better  than  one  large  one  of  the 
capacity  of  both ;  for,  with  two,  one  will  be  empty  in 
the  summer,  ready  to  receive  rye,  clover,  or  other  green 
forage,  which  it  will  be  as  advantageous  to  preserve  by 
Ensilage  as  it  is  the  green  corn  in  the  fall. 

After  the  Ensilage  is  compacted  so  that  it  ceases 
to  settle,  it  is  ready  to  feed  out.  This  takes  about  a 


CAPACITY  OF  SILOS. 


73 


month.  At  any  time  after  it  is  compacted,  the  weights 
can  be  removed,  the  plank  taken  up,  the  straw  ,  raked 
off,  and  more  green  fodder  of  any  kind  put  on  top  of 
that  which  is  in  the  Silo,  thereby  utilizing  all  the  space. 
If  more  fodder  be  raised  than  the  Silo  will  hold,  the 
walls  can  be  carried  up  about  two  feet  with  plank,  and 
filled  so  that  when  settled  the  Ensilage  will  fill  the  Silo 
to  the  top  of  the  masonry  walls. 


^ 


Sectional  view  of  Silo,  12  feet  wide,  12  feet  high,  and  24  or  30  feet  long;  capacity,  80  to  too  tons  of  Ensilage, 
sufficient  to  winter  fifteen  to  twenty  cows  ;   cost,  exclusive  of  labor,  about  $40,  where  stone  are  plenty. 

I,  I,  three-inch  by  four-inch  scantling. 

II,  II,  i^-inch  by  1 2-inch  plank,  between  which  and  the  rough  wall  a  concrete  or  grout  is  poured. 

III,  III,  dotted  line  showing  the  face  of  the  concrete  pointing  and  plastering. 


CHAPTER  XIII. 

ENSILAGE    IN    THE   GREAT   DAIRY    DISTRICTS. 

THE  system  of  Ensilage  is  especially  adapted  to  the 
great  dairy  districts  of  the  West.  Improved  Ensilage 
will  enable  the  dairyman  to  make  as  good  an  article  of 
butter  in  the  winter  as  in  summer.  By  it  the  number  of 
cows  can  be  tripled.  It  is  cheaper  to  soil  cows  during 
the  summer  than  to  pasture  them  where  land  is  valuable, 
particularly  in  the  vicinity  of  cities.  Fifty  cents  per 
week  is  the  average  price  paid  in  my  section  for  pastur- 
ing a  cow ;  for  less  than  this,  a  cow  can  be  kept  upon 
Ensilage,  and  in  better  condition  than  the  average  pas- 
ture will  keep  her :  besides,  by  this  system,  all  the 
manure  can  be  saved,  which  will  abundantly  pay  for  all 
the  extra  labor  of  caring  for  the  stock,  if  the  labor  is 
greater  than  in  pasturing,  which  I  much  doubt. 

The  system  of  Ensilage  —  which  I  hope  to  see  rapid- 
ly adopted  (of  the  hundreds  of  farmers  who  have  visited 
"  Winning  Farm''  nearly  all  have  assured  me  that  they 
shall  build  Silos  this  season)  —  will  cause  our  exports  of 
beef  and  mutton  to  be  immensely  increased,  while  the 
exports  of  dairy  products  will  be  doubled  and  tripled. 

They  are  now  rapidly  increasing,  as  is  shown  by  the 
following  table  of  receipts  and  exports  of  butter  alone, 
at  New  York,  for  the  years  1874  to  1879  :  — 


ENSILAGE  IN  THE   GREAT  DAIRY  DISTRICTS.        75 


RECEIPTS. 

EXPORTS. 

1874  . 

Packages. 
QQ4.4.7O 

Pounds. 
46oc  in 

l37C 

I  080  800 

4  2l6  C48 

i876 

I  202  ^77 

jo  QAC  4^4 

1877 

I  260  7  CO 

IO  686  AA7 

!878                                 .         

i,.6vjy,/^y 
I  277  867 

1870 

i  c8i  821: 

*yr**rHy* 

The  exports  of  cheese  are  fully  as  important,  and  of 
so  fine  a  quality  that  the  English  and  European  dairy 
farmers  are  in  despair  as  to  the  future. 

By  Ensilage,  wool  can  be  produced  so  cheaply  and  in' 
such  quantities  as  to  preclude  the  possibility  of  importation. 

Ensilage  being  so  rich  in  carbo-hydrates,  it  is  espe- 
cially adapted  to  the  growth  of  wool.  If,  in  connection 
with  Ensilage,  we  would  feed  the  cotton-seed  raised  in 
the  South  (no  better -food  can  be  imagined  than  En- 
silage and  cotton-seed  meal) ,  we  could  not  only  stop  the 
importation  of  wool,  but  have  wool  as  well  as  choice 
mutton  in  almost  unlimited  quantities  to  export  (see 
chapter  on  sheep  for  weights  of  lambs)  :  their  mothers 
being  fed  upon  Ensilage,  numberless  flocks  could  be 
kept.  The  old  pastures,  which  have  become  so  worth- 
less by  being  stocked  with  cows  so  long,  would,  if  pas- 
tured with  sheep,  speedily  improve,  and  soon  be  restored 
to  their  original  fertility. 

In  the  rich  and  fertile  West,  Ensilage  of  corn  can  be 
raised  and  stored  in  Silos  for  one  dollar  per  ton  :  as  two 
tons  are  equal  to  one  ton  of  the  best  hay,  this  places  the 
comparative  value  of  hay  at  two  dollars  per  ton  ;  this  is  less 
than  hay  can  be  cured  for.  Two  acres  of  good  meadow 
are  required  to  keep  one  cow ;  while  by  the  system  of 
Ensilage  —  improved  by  my  process  —  eight  cows  may 
be  kept  in  high  condition  upon  the  same  land. 


76  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

No  country  is  so  well  adapted  by  reason  of  both  soil 
and  climate  as  our  own  for  the  growth  of  the  corn-plant. 
Now  that  we  know  how  to  utilize  this  greatest  gift  of 
Nature,  and  save  all  its  valuable  constituents  instead  of  a 
part  only,  who  is  able  to  correctly  estimate  the  blessings 
which  will  follow  when  this  knowledge  is  universally 
diffused  and  profited  by  ? 


THE  CORN-SONG. 

BY  JOHN   G.   WHTTTIER. 

HEAP  high  the  farmer's  wintry  hoard  !  heap  high  the  golden  corn  ! 

No  richer  gift  has  Autumn  poured  from  out  her  lavish  horn. 

Let  other  lands  exulting  glean  the  apple  from  the  pine, 

The  orange  from  its  glossy  green,  the  cluster  from  the  vine. 

We  better  love  the  hardy  gift  our  rugged  vales  bestow, 

To  cheer  us  when  the  storm  shall  drift  our  harvest-fields  with  snow. 

Through  vales  of  grass  and  meads  of  flowers,  our  ploughs  their  furrows  made, 

While  on  the  hills  the  sun  and  showers  of  changeful  April  played. 

We  dropped  the  seed  o'er  hill  and  plain,  beneath  the  sun  of  May, 

And  frightened  from  our  sprouting  grain  the  robber  crows  away. 

All  through  the  long  bright  days  of  June  its  leaves  grew  green  and  fair, 

And  waved  in  hot  midsummer's  noon  its  soft  and  yellow  hair. 

And  now  with  autumn's  moonlit  eves,  its  harvest-time  has  come  ; 

We  pluck  away  the  frosted  leaves,  and  bear  the  treasure  home. 

There,  richer  than  the  fabled  gift  Apollo  showered  of  old, 

Fair  hands  the  broken  grain  shall  sift,  and  knead  its  meal  of  gold. 

Let  vapid  idlers  loll  in  silk  around  their  costly  board  : 

Give  us  the  bowl  of  samp  and  milk,  by  homespun  beauty  poured  ! 

Where'er  the  wide  old  kitchen-hearth  sends  up  its  smoky  curls, 

Who  will  not  thank  the  kindly  earth,  and  bless  our  farmer-girls  ! 

Then  shame  on  all  the  proud  and  vain,  whose  folly  laughs  to  scorn 

The  blessing  of  our  hardy  grain,  our  wealth  of  golden  corn  ! 

Let  earth  withhold  her  goodly  root,  let  mildew  blight  the  rye, 

Give  to  the  worm  the  orchard's  fruit,  —  the  wheat-field  to  the  fly ; 

But  let  the  good  old  crop  adorn  the  hills  our  fathers  trod : 

Still  let  us,  for  his  golden  corn,  send  up  our  thanks  to  God  ! 


CHAPTER  XIV. 

HISTORY   OF   MAIZE,    OR   INDIAN   CORN. 
By  E.  Lewis  Sturtevant,  M.D. 

THE  corn-plant  is  only  known  as  a  cultivated  plant. 
When  Columbus  first  reached  the  shores  of  the  West 
Indies  in  1492,  he  found  mahiz  grown  and  used  by  the 
Indians,  and  also  in  Yucatan  upon  its  discovery  in  1502. 
While  Cabeca  de  Vaca  was  toiling  his  intermittent  way 
from  Florida  to  the  Pacific  coast  in  1528  to  1536,  he 
found  maize  grown  in  large  fields,  and  stored  in  cribs,  by 
the  natives  of  those  regions.  Cortez  had  previously 
found  maize  in  Mexico,  at  the  period  of  the  invasion, 
and  at  Cempoalla,  in  1519,  had  eaten  maize  made  into 
bread-cakes,  and  on  the  march  to  Mexico  passed  amidst 
flourishing  fields  of  maize.  When  De  Soto  invaded 
Florida  in  1539,  macs  occurred  everywhere  in  large 
fields ;  and  the  same  year  Marco  de  Vica  found  maize 
growing  in  New  Mexico  in  fields.  In  1540  Vasquez 
de  Coronado  mentions  fields  of  maize  in  the  valley  of 
San  Miguel  and  also  in  store  at  Cibola ;  and  it  is  also 
mentioned  in  Castanedo's  Relations  for  the  same  date. 
Alarcon,  in  1540,  found  it  growing  in  his  journey  up  the 
Colorado  River,  and  Antonio  de  Espips  in  1583  found 
it  under  cultivation  by  the  Concho  Indians  of  this  region. 

77 


78  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

When  Carrier  visited  Hochelaga,  now  Montreal,  in  1535, 
that  town  was  situated  in  the  midst  of  extensive  corn- 
fields. In  1586  Heriot  refers  to  maize  cultivated  in 
Virginia,  and  called  by  the  natives  " pagatour  ;  "  and  John 
Smith  in  1606  describes  the  Indian  method  of  culture 
then.  Champlain  in  1605  found  it  growing  in  fields  all 
along  the  New-England  coast,  and  describes  the  man- 
ner of  its  culture.  Our  Puritan  fathers  found  it  in 
store  upon  their  first  expedition  of  discovery,  and  speak 
of  the  deserted  corn-fields,  for  the  time  was  winter.  The 
Five  Nations,  in  1603,  m^de  corn-planting  their  business 
before  the  French  arrived  in  Canada.  The  Iroquois 
raised  it  in  such  large  quantities  that  in  the  invasion 
into  the  country  of  the  Senecas,  in  1687,  some  1,200,000 
bushels  were  destroyed.  The  Indians  of  Illinois  culti- 
vated corn  when  the  country  was  first  described  by  Mar- 
quette  in  1673,  by  Allouez  in  1676,  and  Membre  in 
1679.  In  Louisiana  they  had  even  invented  a  hoe  for 
its  culture. 

This  list  might  be  indefinitely  extended  ;  for  so  uni- 
versal was  the  use  of  maize  by  the  aborigines,  that  its 
mention  is  to  be  found  in  nearly  all  the  early  chroniclers, 
and  it  seems  never  to  have  been  grown  as  a  luxury 
simply,  but  rather  as  a  source  of  supply,  and  as  a  staple 
food.  In  the  southern  country,  it  was  so  largely  grown 
that  many  tribes  may  be  considered  as  agriculturists, 
rather  than  as  hunters ;  in  the  northern  countries  it 
shared  with  the  products  of  the  chase  the  claims  of  a 
sustenance.  Its  merits,  too,  were  quickly  recognized 
by  Europeans,  and  it  soon  found  introduction  to  Europe, 
and  a  wide  distribution.  It  had  a  strong  agency  in  the 
settlement  of  this  country,  as  it  afforded  relief  from  star- 
vation to  the  "  Conquisitors  "  in  the  South,  and  to  plain 
Miles  Standish  and  his  contemporaries  in  the  North. 


HISTORY  OF  MAIZE,   OR  INDIAN  CORN.  79 

The  Indian  made  his  conquest  the  more  easy  by  feeding 
his  invaders  from  the  produce  of  his  corn-field,  and  the 
parched  grain  supported  him  again  in  his  defence. 
Among  the  more  imaginative  Indians  of  the  South, 
maize  became  an  object  of  worship,  and  a  means  of 
conferring  honor :  it  formed  portions  for  gifts,  and  in 
one  instance  was  poured  upon  the  ground  for  the 
trampling  of  the  horses,  as  an  earnest  of  welcome  to 
the  Spaniard.  Everywhere  the  grain  supplied  food,  in 
many  places  was  parted  into  a  drink,  and  the  leaves  and 
stalks  were  crushed  to  secure  the  juice  to  be  boiled  into 
a  sirup  or  sugar,  and  the  stalks  were  used  to  form  bags 
and  other  material  of  wigwam  use.  It  is  passing  strange 
that  the  corn-plant  does  not  appear  upon  the  coat  .of 
arms  of  any  of  the  States  whose  early  necessities  it 
relieved. 

In  all  the  references  to  corn  that  we  find  for  North 
America,  we  find  no  reference  to  the  amount  of  crop 
harvested  from  a  given  area ;  and  this  seems  at  first  sur- 
prising. We  read  of  manuring  and  fallowing,  of  the 
preparation  of  the  ground,  of  the  planting,  of  the  cul- 
ture, and  the  storing  of  the  crop.  We  have  some  few 
accounts  of  varieties,  and  frequent  mention  of  the  uses 
and  modes  of  preparation.  In  1608  the  settlers  of 
Jamestown  were  taught  the  manner  of  grqwing  it  by 
the  Indians;  and  in  1621  Squanto,  the  good-natured 
Indian  friend  of  the  Pilgrims,  taught  them  ;  and,  strange- 
ly enough,  until  quite  recently  there  has  been  but  little 
change  from  the  Indian  methods ;  and  throughout  New 
England  generally  the  cultivation  which  sufficed  the 
barbarous  Indian  and  the  colonist  of  limited  means  is 
deemed  by  many  to  be  proper  now,  except  the  plough 
has  taken  the  place  of  the  sharpened  bough  or  the 
shoulder-blade  of  the  moose,  the  hoe  has  replaced  the 


80  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

clam-shell,  the  dung-hill  is  called  upon  oftener  than  is 
the  sea  or  the  stream  for  its  fish.  We  now  store  in 
cribs,  rather  than  in  the  sacks  of  our  instructors  buried 
in  the  sand ;  yet  the  Southern  Indian  had  cribs,  even  as 
we  have  now. 

It  is  a  valuable  reflection  this,  the  antiquity  of  the  cul- 
tivation of  the  corn,  and  the  little  progress  in  the  method 
of  its  culture  which  civilization  has  been  enabled  to  add. 
It  is  worthy  of  thought,  this  paradox,  that  in  this  one 
case  civilization  is  instructed  by  barbarism,  instead  of 
instructing.  Did  the  Indian  attain  perfection,  or  is  it 
ourselves  who  are  satisfied  not  to  progress  ?  This  latter 
question  seems  the  true  one  :  for  the  Western  farmer  has 
departed  from  the  Indian  ways,  and  meets  a  greater  suc- 
cess; the  progressive  farmer  here  and  there  in  New 
England  has  left  the  track  beaten  for  him  by  custom, 
and  finds  his  gain.  Yes,  it  is  a  fact,  the  cultivation  by 
the  red  man  was  sufficient  for  him  with  his  resources, 
but  is  far  from  satisfactory  for  us  with  our  resources.  It 
is  time  we  should  follow  in  the  line  of  civilization,  even 
if  we  would  not  be  in  the  van  ;  and  it  is  folly  for  us  to 
longer  continue  in  the  line  traced  by  barbarians,  rather 
than  by  an  educated  experience. 

WAUSHAKUM  FARM,  SOUTH  FRAMINGHAM,  MASS. 

[Written  for  and  published  originally  in  "  The  Massachusetts  Ploughman."] 


THE    IDLENOT    PAPERS. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

COST  OF  PRODUCING  MILK  ONE  CENT  A  QUART,  OF  BUTTER 
TEN  CENTS  PER  POUND,  AND  OF  PORK  THREE  CENTS  PER 
POUND,  BEEF  FOR  FOUR  CENTS  A  POUND,  AND  MUTTON 
FOR  NOTHING,  IF  WOOL  IS  THIRTY  CENTS  A  POUND. 

AT  Winning  Farm  I  have  by  careful  tests  demonstrated 
that  milk  can  be  produced  for  one  cent  a  quart,  and  a 
clear  though  small  profit  made.  More  than  twice  as 
much  profit  can  be  made  by  converting  the  milk  into 
butter,  even  though  the  butter  is  sold  for  ten  cents  a 
pound,  providing  the  skim-milk  is  fed  to  improved 
breeds  of  swine.  For  producing  pork  with  skim-milk 
and  grass,  no  breed  is  equal  to  the  well-bred  Berkshire. 
I  will  as  briefly  as  possible  tell  how  milk  can  be  produced 
for  one  cent  a  quart,  then  show  how  much  more  can  be 
made  by  converting  the  cream  of  the  milk  into  butter, 
and  finally  how  the  greatest  amount  of  pork  can  be 
raised  from  the  skim-milk. 

To  begin  with,  we  will  assume  that  a  farmer  has  a 
good  farm  of  50  acres,  with  a  comfortable  house  and  a 
barn  36  by  48  feet.  This  barn  will  hold  not  far  from  25 

St 


82  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

« 

tons  of  hay  and  the  corn-stalks  and  butts  from  about 
two  acres  of  corn.  It  will  probably  have  a  lintel  for 
cows  on  one  side  of  the  "  floor,"  a  granary  and  harness- 
room,  two  or  three  horse-stalls,  and  hay-mows  on  the 
other  side.  Upon  such  a  farm  —  if  it  is  a  good  one  — 
there  can  be  kept  two  horses  and  10  to  15  cows  upon 
hay  and  grain,  providing  a  partial  system  of  soiling  is 
adopted  to  help  out  the  pasturage  during  July,  August, 
and  September. 

To  carry  on  this  farm,  even  though  the  farmer  be  ever 
so  much  of  a  worker,  he  will  have  to  keep  one  good 
hired  man  at  least  nine  months  of  the  year ;  the  entire 
resources  of  the  whole  farm  will  have  to  be  devoted  to 
the  subsistence  of  the  10  or  15  cows ;  all  the  other  crops 
—  vegetables,  fruit,  &c.  —  will  not  bring  in  more  cash 
than  the  grain  fed  to  the  cows  in  addition  to  that  raised 
upon  the  farm  will  cost.  Now,  we  will  assume  that  each 
of  the  15  cows  will  produce  2,000  quarts  of  milk,  besides 
that  used  by  the  farmer's  family :  this,  if  sold  for  three 
cents  a  quart,  gives  $60  as  the  gross  income  from  each 
cow ;  that  makes  the  total  income  from  the  1 5  cows, 
$900.  This,  I  think,  is  as  good  a  showing  as  our  best 
farmers  can  exhibit. 

Against  this  income  of  $900,  there  must  be  charged 
the  interest  and  taxes  upon  the  farm,  and  other  expenses 
as  follows :  — 


6  per  cent  on  $5,000,  value  of  farm $300  oo 

Repairs  on  buildings,  2  J  per  cent  on  $2,000 .         .        •         .  50  oo 

Taxes  on  farm,  $40  ;  taxes  on  stock,  $10       .         .        .        .  50  oo 

Interest  on  stock  and  farming  tools        .         .         .         .         .  90  oo 

Wages  and  board  of  hired  man  9  months,  at  $30  .         .         .  270  oo 
Depreciation  on  stock  and  farming  tools,  value  $1,500,  10  per 

cent 150  oo 

Carried  forward      .         .         .         .         .         .         .  $910  oo 


COST  OF  FARM-PRODUCE.  §3 

Brought  forward      .......     $910  oo 

Wages  of  the  farmer,  besides  house-rent,  fuel,  and  produce 

raised  on  the  farm  consumed  by  himself  and  family  .  .  400  oo 

(This  may  seem  high,  but  I  would  like  to  hire  the  man  and 
his  family  I  am  writing  about  for  the  same  wages  and  other 
consideration  mentioned.) 

Total  expense    ....... 

Total  income 

Deficiency 

In  other  words,  the  farmer  who  owns  a  50- acre  farm 
worth  $5,000,  with  stock  and  farming-tools  worth  $1,500, 
who  keeps  15  cows  and  sells  $900  worth  of  milk  from/ 
them  yearly,  if  he  keep  a  correct  account  of  expenses, 
instead  of  receiving  $400  for  the  services  of  himself  and 
family,  actually  works  for  nothing  except  house-rent  and 
fuel  and  vegetables,  and  pays  $10  per  year  for  the  privi- 
lege of  doing  so. 

It  must  be  confessed  that  this  is  not  very  encouraging  ; 
and  it  is  no  wonder  that  the  boys  want  to  leave  the  farm, 
and  the  girls  declare  that  "  they  won't  marry  a  farmer." 

If  my  figures  are  incorrect,  I  hope  some  enterprising 
and  industrious  farmer  will  show  how  much  better  his 
actual  results  are.  Let  us  have  all  the  items  of  both 
expense  and  income. 

Now,  there  is  a  chance  to  take  a  "  new  departure," 
which  will  change  all  this ;  and  I  propose  in  this  and 
subsequent  letters  to  show  how  it  can  be  done.  Under 
the  new  dispensation,  which  we  will  call  the  "  Book  of 
Ensilage,"  Sylvester  Idlenot  starts  with  the  same  5o-acre 
farm,  divided  into  20  acres  arable  land,  20  acres  pasture, 
and  10  acres  in  wood,  all  well  fenced,  and  valued  at 
$5,000.  Time,  March  i.  He  has  used  plenty  of  muck 
and  road  dust  for  absorbents,  so  that  he  will  have  two 
cords  of  good  manure  for  each  animal,  32  cords  in  alL 


84  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

A  few  days  ago  I  called  on  Sylvester,  who  is  a  neighbor 
of  mine,  in  whom  I  have  taken  a  great  deal  of  interest. 
At  first  I  was  interested  because  I  saw  he  was  always  at 
work.  His  motto,  like  his  name,  was  "  Idlenot."  From 
his  dropping  the  final  t  when  pronouncing  his  name,  I 
think  he  is  of  French  descent;  probably  a  "Limerick 
Frenchman."  Upon  further  acquaintance  I  found  he 
had  rare  good  sense.  I  found  him  studying  over  his 
farm-account  for  the  year  past.  From  the  expression 
upon  his  countenance  I  saw  he  was  not  satisfied  with 
the  results.  "  Good-morning,  Sylvester,"  said  I.  "Ah  ! 
good  morning  to  yoursilf.  It's  glad  I  am  to  see  ye, 
docther :  'tis  puzzled  intirely  I  am.  Perhaps  ye  can 
explain  the  botheration,  so  that  Mary  and  mesilf  can 
see  through  it."  —  "I'll  try,  Sylvester.  What  is  it?" 
I  asked. 

"Well,  docther,  'tis  just  this:  Me  and  Mary  has  been 
married  fifteen  years  this  very  blessed  first  day  of  March. 
When  we  were  married  I  had  saved  up  $750,  and  Mary 
had  $250,  just  $1,000  betwixt  us.  Well,  Mary,  God 
bless  her,  she  kept  right  on  at  work,  and  she  laid  up  a 
little  over  $100  a  year.  I  kept  right  on  at  work  too, 
and  laid  up  me  whole  wages.  (I  received  $300  a  year 
and  me  board.)  I  clothed  mesilf  with  what  I  earned 
doing  extras  and  warrking  nights  for  me  master's  neigh- 
bors. This  made  our  savings  #400  a  year.  In  tin  years 
we  had  saved  up,  with  what  we  had  when  we  married, 
$5,000,  and  the  interest  made  it  some  over  $7,000. 
Well,  we  got  tired  of  working  for  other  people,  and 
thought  we  would  have  a  home  of  our  own  :  so  we 
bought  this  farm,  and  the  stock  and  the  tools  and  all  the 
fixings  were  all  paid  for.  We  had  a  few  hundred  dollars 
left. 

"Well,  now,  I  have  just  been  figuring  up  the  last  year, 


COST  OF  FARM-PRODUCE.  85 

and  it  stands  this  away :  We  have  sold  milk  amounting 
to  $900.  The  fruit  and  vegetables  and  chickens  and 
eggs  have  come  to  just  enough  to  balance  the  mate,  the 
grocery,  and  the  grain  bill.  As  the  incomes  and  the  out- 
goes are  of  a  bigness  we'll  let  them  go  together,  and  say 
no  more  about  them.  When  I  had  got  this  far  without 
stopping  to  think,  I  said,  '  Mary,  the  milk-money  is  all 
clear  gain ; '  Mary  says  to  me,  '  I  don't  see  it :  where  is 
the  money  ?  '  I  began  to  think  again  ;  says  I,  "  there  is 
the  $7,000  in  the  farm.  The  year  before  we  bought  it 
we  got  $420  inthrust,  that  we  would  have  had  if  we  had 
had  no  farm,  so  that  is  no  profit  belonging  to  the  farm ; 
take  that  from  the  $900,  and  there  is  only  $480  left: 
Thin  there  was  the  wagis  of  one  hired  man,  $15  a  month 
and  board  worth  $10  a  month,  that  for  nine  months  is 
$225,  that  laves  only  $255;  thin  there  is  the  taxes,  $60, 
the  insurance,  $10,  thin  the  depraciation  in  the  stock 
and  farming-tools,  tin  per  cent  on  $1,500,  —  $150;  thin 
the  repairs  on  the  buildings,  2\  percent  on  $2,000, — 
$50,  making  $270.  Taking  that  out  of  $255,  all  that 
was  left  of  the  milk  money,  and  I  find  mesilf  in  debt  to 
mesilf  $15,  and  nary  a  cint  of  wagis  for  Mary  or  mesilf. 
'  Mary,'  says  I,  *  we  have  been  working  hard  as  iver  we 
could  work  the  whole  year  for  our  board,  and  have  paid 
$15  for  the  privilege,  and  clothed  oursilves.  All  the 
year  we  have  been  working  hard  arning  our  own  in- 
thrust  money,  and  giving  $15  for  the  right  to  do  it.'  Now, 
docther,  what  I  wants  to  know  is  this  :  ain't  there  no  way 
for  a  farmer  to  do,  'cepting  to  work  for  nothing  and 
clothe  himself?"  I  was  very  much  amused  while  Syl- 
vester was  explaining  his  figures,  and  wondered  how 
many  farmers  there  are  who  have  kept  as  accurate  an 
account  as  he  has,  and  could  tell  whether  they  were 
making  any  thing  or  were  really  working  for  nothing. 


86  THE   BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

I  finally  said,  "  Sylvester,  I  will  tell  you  how  to  manage 
your  farm  and  stock  so  as  to  receive  good  wages  for 
yourself  and  also  for  Mary,  and  something  as  a  profit. 
How  much  ready  money  have  you  saved  up  now  ? "  — 
"Well,"  says  he,  "  we  have  a  bit  over  $2,000;  we  have 
each  year  saved  up  just  about  what  the  interest  would 
be,  and  worked  for  our  board  ever  since  we  bought  the 
farm,  bad  luck !  but  it's  a  good  farm  too." 

"Well,  Sylvester,  in  the  first  place,  you  must  buy 
fifty  cords  of  good  manure,  that  will  cost  you  at  the  rail- 
road-station $6.50  per  cord,  —  $325  ;  that  will  give  you 
82  cords  of  manure.  Spread  that  as  you  haul  it  broad- 
cast -upon  15  acres,  that  will  be  about  5^  cords  to  the 
acre.  After  you  have  got  it  well  spread,  come  up  to  my 
place,  and  get  my  Thomas  smoothing-harrow,  and  give 
it  two  good  harrowings,  one  each  way.  The  15  acres 
will  take  your  ten-acre  meadow  and  the  five-acre  field 
where  you  had  potatoes  and  other  vegetables  last  year : 
the  other  five  acres,  which  is  the  apple-orchard,  you  can 
cut  the  hay  early,  and  then  use  it  as  a  hog-pasture. 

"  Now,  immediately  after  harrowing  the  five-acre  field, 
sow  it  to  spring  rye  to  be  fed  out  green  in  May.  You 
have  now  a  lintel  on  one  side  of  your  barn  which  will 
hold  1 6  cows  ;  you  want  to  make  one  on  the  other  side 
36  feet  long,  that  will  accommodate  12  cows;  the  other 
1 2  feet  will  allow  for  two  horse-stalls  and  a  pair  of  stairs 
to  go  up  to  the  granary,  which  you  must  move  up  stairs ; 
this  gives  you  room  in  your  barn  for  28  cows  and  two 
horses.  All  the  planting  you  want  to  do  this  year  is  one- 
half  acre  of  potatoes  and  a  good  big  kitchen-garden." 
"  Never  you  mind  telling  me  that,"  broke  in  Sylvester. 
"  Go  on,  docther :  I'm  listening  wid  both  ears,  and  so  is 
Mary." 

"  Now,  after  you  have  your  manure  all  out  and  spread, 


.       COST  OF  FARM-PRODUCE.  87 

the  rye  sowed,  the  garden  made,  and  the  potatoes  plant- 
ed, you  dig  a  hole  into  that  bank  east  of  your  bafn,  30 
feet  wide,  and  45  feet  long,  and  about  four  feet  lower  than 
the  sills  to  your  barn  ;  wall  it  up  all  round,  then  plaster 
the  walls  with  concrete,  run  a  wall  through  the  centre, 
cut  off  the  corners,  and  carry  these  concrete  walls  up 
above  the  top  of  the  earth  until  they  are  16  feet  high  on 
the  inside ;  then  get  a  carpenter  to  put  a  light  roof  over 
them  to  keep  the  rain  and  snow  out,  and  you  have  two 
Silos  which  will  hold  400  tons  of  Ensilage,  two  tons  of 
which  is  worth  more  than  one  ton  of  timothy  hay.  You 
will  have  to  hire  some  help  to  build  these  Silos ;  and  it 
will  take  about  125  barrels  of  cement,  besides  the  labor 
of  yourself  and  hired  hand :  you  will  have  to  pay  out  in 
building  them  about  $300.  Early  in  May,  as  soon  as 
your  spring  rye  is  eighteen  inches  high,  commence  to  cut 
it,  and  feed  it  to  your  cows  in  the  barn  ;  the  last  week  in 
May  cut  the  grass  in  the  ten-acre  lot ;  as  soon  as  you 
have  got  the  hay  off  of  it,  turn  it  over,  roll  it,  take  my 
Nishwitz  harrow,  and  harrow  it  both  ways,  then  plough 
the  rye-field,  turning  under  the  stubble  and  the  green 
second  growth.  Rye,  if  cut  before  heading,  grows  a 
second  crop.  After  harrowing  that,  the  same  as  the  sod- 
land  (and,  Sylvester,  let  me  right  here  repeat  the  old 
Pennsylvania  Dutchman's  advice  to  his  son  about  pre- 
paring corn-land  :  *  Shon  !  you  shust  drag  and  drag  and 
drag  until  you  have  him  shust  right,  and  den  you  shust 
drag  him  vonce  more,  and  he  vill  do  pretty  veil ') ,  I  will 
let  you  take  my  Albany  corn-planter,  and  with  one  horse 
you  can  plant  the  whole  15  acres  in  three  days,  at  the 
same  time  distributing  about  100  pounds  of  Stockbridge 
corn -manure  or  some  good  reliable  superphosphate  in 
the  drills.  I  use  an  equal  amount  of  plaster  mixed  with 
the  fertilizer.  Make  the  drills  about  three  and  a  half 


88  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

feet  apart,  using  from  onerhalf  to  one  bushel  of  seed- 
corn  tb  the  acre,  according  to  the  size  it  grows.  I  have 
a  variety,  —  the  Mammoth  Ensilage,  —  which  takes 
only  one-half  bushel  to  the  acre :  the  drills  want  to 
be  four  feet  apart.  It  will  yield  on  good  corn-land, 
well  manured,  40  to  75  tons  of  green-corn-fodder  to 
the  acre  :  I  guess  I  can  furnish  you  with  seed  if  you  want 
me  to.  As  soon  as  the  corn  begins  to  prick  through 
the  ground,  you  must  harrow  it  all  over  with  the 
Thomas  smoothing-harrow,  and  follow  it  up  every  week 
or  ten  days  until  the  corn  is  a  foot  high :  each  harrowing 
will  take  one  day.  When  it  is  about  waist  high,  you 
want  to  go  through  it  once  with  Hussey's  Centennial 
Improved  cultivator  and  horse-hoe ;  after  that  the  corn 
will  shade  the  ground  so  much  that  there  will  be  no 
more  weeds ;  when  this  is  done,  until  your  corn  is  ready 
to  cut,  you  and  your  man  can  change  work  with  your 
neighbors,  helping  them  in  their  haying,  they  to  pay 
you  back  when  you  save  your  corn-fodder :  having  noth- 
ing but  the  garden  to  attend  to,  you  will  have  plenty  of 
time  to  pay  in  work  for  all  the  help  you  will  need  then. 
About  the  ist  of  September  your  corn  will  be  in  full 
tassel,  which  is  the  time  to  cut  it.  You  will  have  to  buy 
you  a  cutter,  which  will  cost  about  $100.  You  will  have 
to  hire  a  small  engine,  —  three  to  five  horse-power  will 
do,  —  and  a  boy  who  understands  how  to  run  it :  this  will 
cost  about  $25  to  $40.  It  will  take  eight  men  besides 
yourself  to  cut  the  corn-fodder  and  pack  it  in  the  Silos 
to  advantage.  It  will  take  about  ten  days  to  fill  the  two 
Silos.  I  think  you  will  have  enough  on  your  1 5  acres  to 
fill  them,  and  have  several  tons  which  you  will  have 
to  shock  and  cure  by  drying.  When  the  Silos  are  filled, 
you  want  to  put  six  inches  of  rye-straw  on  top  of  the 
Ensilage,  then  lay  down  on  the  straw  a  floor  of  one  and 


COST  OF  FARM-PRODUCE.  89 

one-fourth  inch  spruce  plank :  on  top  of  this  floor  put  a 
layer  of  cobble-stones  about  a  foot  deep.  As  soon  as 
you  have  done  this,  plough  your  corn-land,  and  sow  with 
winter  rye.  Sow  two  bushels  to  the  acre.  I  will  loan 
you  my  Cahoon  Broadcast  seed-sower  to  sow  the  rye : 
with  it  you  can  sow  the  1 5  acres  in  one  day,  and  do  it 
far  better  than  by  hand.  Harrow  it  in  with  the  smooth- 
ing-harrow,  then  roll.  In  the  spring,  harrow  the  rye  as 
soon  as  it  begins  to  grow,  and  follow  it  up  once  a  week 
until  it  is  eight  or  ten  inches  high.  This  harrowing 
loosens  the  ground,  kills  the  weeds,  and  causes  the  rye 
to  tiller  more,  thereby  increasing  the  crop  from  20  to 
50  per  cent." 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

SECOND    IDLENOT   PAPER. 

ABOUT  two  months  after  my  last  interview  with  Sylves- 
ter Idlenot,  when  I  advised  him  to  try  Ensilage,  I  saw 
him  coming  up  the  walk  to  my  house,  evidently  in  a 
botheration.  As  he  opened  the  office-door  I  said, 
"  Good-morning,  Sylvester.  Take  a  chair.  How  are 
Mary  and  the  boys  ?  " 

"All  well,  God  bless  'em,  I  thank  ye;  but  it's  in 
throuble  I  am  intirely !  " 

"  What  is  the  matter,  Sylvester?  "  I  asked  anxiously. 

"  Well,  docther,  'tis  just  this.  You  know,  last  March 
ye  happened  into  my  house  just  as  I  was  figuring  up  the 
account  for  the  year,  and  we  had  made  nothing  but 
shelter  and  our  vittles.  Shure,  we  always  had  a  roof  over 
our  heads,  and  plenty  to  ate,  and  comfortable  clothes  on 
our  backs,  and  laid  up  three  and  four  hundred  dollars  each 
year,  and  niver  touched  the  bit  of  inthrust  money  our 
savings  was  arning.  After  we  bought  the  farm,  and 
since  then,  divil  a  cint  have  we  laid  up  more'n  the  in- 
thrust  would  have  been.  Well,  you,  docther,  told  me 
what  to  do,  and  I'm  a-doin'  it;  and  now  we're  ruined 
intirely !  " 

This  sounded  rather  ominous ;  and  I  said,  with  more 


PRICE   OF  MILK.  91 

anxiety  than  curiosity  this  time,  "  Sylvester,  what  is  the 
matter  ?  " 

"  Docther,  I've  been  following  your  directions,  for  I 
thought  it  was  sinsible  ;  and  besides,  I'd  seen  how  well 
your  own  stock  looked  that  was  fed  on  the  insilage ;  and 
ses  I  to  Mary,  it's  thrying  it  we'll  be  after  doing.  So  I 
bought  the  manure,  and  I  spread  it  broadcast  on  the  tin- 
acre  field  and  five-acre  lot :  the  grass  'tis  just  growing 
splendid !  We-  sowed  the  five  acres  to  rye,  and  up  to 
me  shoulder  it  is,  and  so  thick  ye  can  hardly  make  your 
way  through  it.  We  are  feeding  it  to  the  cows,  and 
have  been  for  a  while  or  two." 

"  Well,  don't  they  do  well,  and  give  a  good  mess  of 
milk  ? "  I  asked,  interrupting  him. 

"  Niver  better,  but  that  ain't  the  throuble,"  said  he. 

"  Well,  what  is  it?  Tell  me,  what  is  the  matter,  Syl- 
vester?" I  asked. 

"  I'm  coming  to  it,  docther,  directly.  I'll  tell  ye  im~ 
mejitly.  I  was  at  warrk  on  me  siloos.  I've  got  'em 
more'n  half  done  already.  Day  before  yesterday,  whin 
I  looked  up,  there  right  forninst  me  stood  the  con- 
thractor  !  *  So  you  are  going  to  thry  the  docther's  new- 
fangled feed,  are  ye,  Sylvester  ? '  — '  Yes,  indade  I  am,'  I 
said :  *  it  is  tired  I  am  making  milk,  and  selling  it  to  the 
likes  of  ye  for  less  than  it  costs  to  make  it/ 

" '  I  read  all  about  it  in  the  noosepapers,'  said  he : 
'  ye's  going  to  make  it  for  a  cint  a  quart.  It's  foine 
business  ye'll  have  making  milk  for  a  cint  a  quart  and 
selling  it  for  three  ; '  and  he  wunk  a  knowing  kind  of  a 
wink  as  he  got  on  to  his  wagin,  and  druv  away.  Ses  I 
to  myself,  Fhat  the  divil  is  that  conthractor  winking  like 
that  to  me  for  ?  and  thin  I  thought  about  the  noosepa- 
pers telling  all  about  the  siloo  and  the  insilage,  and  at 
the  head  of  the  whole  story  was,  '  How  to  projuce  milk 


92  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

for  one  cint  a  quart ; '  and  it  sthruck  me  all  of  a  suddint. 
Ah,  docther,  ye's  guv  us  away  wid  your  noosepapers, 
and  ruined  the  whole  business,  bad  luck  to  it !  I  niver 
did  belave  in  book-farming,  anyhow !  " 

Sylvester  wiped  the  perspiration  from  his  brow,  and 
looked  the  personification  of  disgust.  "  Why,  Sylves- 
ter," I  said,  "  how  can  that  be  ?  What  harm  can  there  be 
in  writing  down  our  conversation  and  the  advice  I  gave 
you,  and  printing  it  so  that  others  may  profit  with  us  in 
the  advantages  which  the  new  system  of  Ensilage  gives  ? 
Surely  you  are  not  so  selfish  that  you  do  not  want  other 
farmers  to  share  with  us  the  good  times  which  the  gen- 
eral adoption  of  the  new  system  will  bring  about?" 

"  No,  no,  docther :  it  isn't  the  farmers  that  I  want  to 
kape  in  the  darkness  and  throuble  they  are  now  in,  by 
any  manes ;  but  the  milk  conthractors  —  may  the  divil 
fly  away  wid  every  mother's  son  of  them  !  As  soon  as 
they  foind  out  we  can  make  a  quart  of  milk  for  a  cint, 
not  a  farden  more  thin  a  cint  will  they  pay  us  for  our 
milk.  And  that's  what's  the  trouble  altogether !  Fhat's 
the  use  of  all  your  exparimints?  The  conthractor  — 
bad  luck  to  the  likes  of  'im  —  will  get  the  oisther  and 
lave  us  the  shells  like  he  does  now.  Shure  thim's  the 
b'ys  f  hat  makes  their  foine  living  by  the  sweat  of  ither 
men's  brows !  " 

I  laughed  at  this,  and  proceeded  to  finish  the  advice 
I  gave  Sylvester  last  March.  "  Sylvester,"  I  said,  "  you 
are  keeping  your  cows  now  on  rye.  All  right :  continue 
to  feed  the  rye  to  them  until  the  first  of  June,  then  turn 
them  into  the  pasture.  By  that  time  there  will  be  plenty 
of  feed  which  will  carry  them  till  fall,  with  the  help  of  a 
little  grain.  In  fact,  keep  them  as  you  would  if  you 
were  not  trying  the  Ensilage  system.  Finish  your  Silos. 
When  you  have  them  filled  with  the  corn  Ensilage,  put 


NO   CHANGE  REQUIRED.  93 

a  lintel  on  the  other  side  of  the  barn,  and  in  about  a 
month  buy  thirteen  more  cows,  and  keep  them  in  the 
barn,  turning  them  out  every  day  an  hour  or  two  in 
the  yard  to  exercise.  Feed  the  Ensilage  to  them  twice 
a  day,  about  a  bushel  (25  or  30  pounds)  to  a  feed.  The 
two  Silos  will  hold  about  four  hundred  tons ;  that,  with 
the  rye  Ensilage,  will  be  sufficient  to  keep  fifty  cows  the 
year  through,  if  you  give  to  each  cow,  in  addition  to  the 
Ensilage,  about  four  pounds  of  bran  or  cotton-seed  meal 
daily  while  she  is  in  milk." 

"  But,  docther,  won't  the  cows  and  sheep  get  tired  of 
the  insilage,  and  need  a  change  sometimes  ?  "  asked  Syl- 
vester. 

"  I  don't  see  that  there  will  be  any  need  of  a  change," 
I  replied  ;  "  I  have  fed  cattle  upon  it  exclusively  for  sev- 
eral months,  and  they  like  it  better  and  eat  it  with 
greater  avidity  than  ever.  It  is  almost  the  same  as  fresh 
pasture  grass  when  bran  or  cotton-seed  meal  is  fed  with 
it,  and  is  certainly  as  good  as  fresh  pasture,  as  the 
cattle  can  eat  their  fill  without  labor.  When  there  is 
plenty  of  food  in  the  pastures,  no  one  dreams  of  offer- 
ing a  change  to  stock.  You  will  have  but  28  cows,  and 
that  is  all  I  advise  you  to  keep ;  but,  as  you  have  the 
feed  for  22  more,  you  must  build  a  shed  on  the  south 
side  of  the  Silo,  24  feet  wide  and  47  feet  long ;  fence  in 
a  yard  of  about  one-quarter  of  an  acre  of  that  high,  dry 
ridge  east  and  south  of  your  Silos,  and  buy  100  breeding- 
ewes,  common  merinos,  such  as  I  bought  last  fall,  only 
you  need  not  bother  about  their  breeding.  If  they  are 
grades  they  will  answer  just  as  well. 

"  As  I  am  advising  you  what  to  do,  I  will  .let  you  take 
two  of  my  Cotswold  bucks  to  put  with  them.  If  they 
turn  out  well,  you  can  pay  me  for  the  use  of  them  what 
you  think  is  right.  Now  you  will  want  to  buy  six  good 


94  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE, 

brood- sows  (any  large  breed),  and  a  pure  Berkshire 
boar  to  use  on  them.  You  can  keep  the  28  cows,  the 
100  sheep,  and  the  seven  hogs  on  the  Ensilage  which  you 
will  raise  on  the  1 5  acres.  If  the  contractor  tries  to  beat 
down  the  price  of  milk,  you  can  make  butter,  and  have 
the  skimmed  milk  to  feed  to  the  pigs.  If  your  cows 
each  give  2,000  quarts  of  milk  per  year,  you  can  make 
200  pounds  at  least  of  butter.  The  skim-milk,  the  run 
of  the  five-acre  orchard  (you  must  ring  the  hogs  when 
you  turn  them  out  to  pasture) ,  and  Ensilage  in  the  win- 
ter, will  make  you  at  least  500  pounds  of  pork  to  each 
cow.  This  will  give  you  $20  for  butter,  if  you  have  to  sell 
it  at  ten  cents  per  pound.  500  pounds  pork  at  three 
cents  per  pound  is  $15.  You  will  also  raise  a  fine  calf 
worth  at  least  $10  when  a  year  old.  This  gives  you  for 
each  cow  $45,  or  $1,260  for  the  28  head.  Your  100 
sheep  will  shear  you  seven  pounds  of  wool  on  an  average 
(my  merinos  average  between  nine  and  ten  pounds), 
worth  unwashed  at  least  30  cents  per  pound,  $2.10  a  head, 
or  $210  on  the  whole  flock.  Then  you  will  raise,  by  the 
use  of  Cotswold  bucks,  90  lambs  or  more,  which  will  be 
worth  when  four  months  old,  at  least  $4  per  head  ;  this 
is  $360  more.  Now  let  us  see :  your  income  will  be  as 
follows  :  — 

For  butter,  5,600  pounds,  at  10  cents  .  .  $560  oo 

For  pork,  14,000  pounds,  at  3  cents  .  .  420  oo 

28  yearlings,  at  $10  apiece     .         .  .  .  280  oo 

700  pounds  wool  at  30  cents          .  .  .  210  oo 

90  lambs  (Cotswold  merinos)  at  $4  .  .  360  oo 

Total        ........    $1,830  oo 

"  You  must  in  the  future,  as  in  the  past,  make  the 
sales  of  fruit,  eggs,  poultry,  and  vegetables  pay  the 
butcher's  and  grocer's  bills,  so  that  there  will  be  to 


PROFITS  OF  ENSILAGE.  95 

come    out   of   the    $1,830   the   following   items   of   ex- 
pense :  — 

Interest  on  farm,  value        .....  $5,000  oo     $300  oo 
Interest  on  stock  and  depreciation  on  farming- 
tools,  value 1,500  oo       150  oo 

Interest   on  13  additional   cows,  value      .        .  520  oo 

Interest  on  100  sheep,                        "        .         .  400  oo 

Interest  on  stock  of  manure  bought,  "        .        .  325  oo  \  in   70 

Interest  on  Silos,  cash  paid  out,          "         .         .  300  oo 

Interest  on  sheep-shed,                       "        .        .  150  oo  , 

Total  investment $8,195  °° 

Wages  and  board  of  one  hired  man  six  months,  at  $25    .         .  150  oo 

Repairs  on  buildings  and  fences      .         .         .                 .         .  .  50  oo, 

Taxes  and  insurance       .         .         ,         ...         .  80  oo 

Bran  and  cotton-seed  meal,  four  pounds  daily  to  each  cow  when 

in  milk 280  oo 

Grain  for  sheep  and  horses     .         .         .        .                 .        .  150  oo 

Total  expense '  $1,271  70 

"This  leaves  for  you  and  Mary  $558.30." 
"  Fhat !  $558  and  30  cints !  besides  inthrust  and  all 
expinses  is  it  ?  "  asked  Sylvester,  who  had  been  watching 
me  closely,  "  and  no  thanks  to  the  conthractor  ;  wid  but- 
ther  at  tin  cints  a  pound,  and  pork  at  three  cints  a  pound, 
wool  at  30  cints  a  pound,  and  Cotswold  Merriny  lambs 
at  $4  apiece  !  Shure,  that  is  too  low  for  the  lambs  any- 
way. Your  lambs,  docther,  of  the  same  kind,  weighed 
over  100  pounds  apiece  whin  only  five  months  old ;  for, 
d'ye  moind,  I  helped  ye  to  weigh  them  meself." 

"  That's  so,"  I  replied:  "  they  will  be  worth  from  $5  to 
$7  each  ;  so  will  the  butter  be  worth  more  than  ten  cents 
a  pound,  and  the  pork  be  worth  more  than  three  cents  a 
pound.  I  have  put  the  prices  low,  in  order  to  show  you 
what  can  be  done  by  the  system  of  Ensilage.  Now,  Syl- 
vester, you  and  Mary  take  hold  of  this  as  you  do  of 


g6  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

every  thing  you  undertake ;  and,  my  word  for  it,  you 
will  think  you  have  found  the  real  '  philosopher's  stone.' 
After  you  have  tried  it  one  year,  show  me  your  account. 
If  it  is  not  better  than  last  year,  I'll  pay  the  difference 
out  of  my  own  pocket." 

"  Ye'll  not  be  called  upon  to  do  that,  docther,"  said 
Sylvester ;  "  and  ye  can  depind  upon  Mary  and  me  and 
the  b'ys  to  thry." 


CHAPTER  XVII. 


ANALYSIS   OF  ENSILAGE   FROM    THE    "  WINNING- FARM       SILOS. 

By  C.  A.  Goessmattn,  Ph.D., 

Professor  of  Chemistry,  Chemist  to  the  Massachusetts  State  Board  of  Agriculture 
and  State  Inspector  of  Commercial  Fertilizers. 

THE  sample  of  Silo  corn  (Ensilage)  consists  of:  — 

PER   CENT. 

Moisture  at  21 2°-2 20°  Fahrenheit     .         .         .        80.70 
Dry  matter  left          .  .         .         .         .        19.30 


100.00 


This  dry  matter  consists  of:  — 

PARTS. 

Crude  cellulose         .;        . '       .  .  %  .  .  6.43 

Fat  ether  abstract     .  '      •         •  •  •  •  0.62 

Albuminoids     .     '    .        V       .  •  •  .  1.56 

Non-nitrogenous  extract  matter  .  V  V  8.92 

Ash  (with  traces  of  sand)         .  *  •'  .  1.77 

19.30 


Also  an   average   analysis  of  the   corn-plant   in   the 
milk :  — 

.  PER    CENT. 

Moisture  at  21 2°-2 20°  Fahrenheit     .        ..        .       85.04 
Dry  matter      .       f«        f        «        «        »        *       14.96 

100.00 

97 


98  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

PARTS. 

Ash          .         .         .                 .         .        .         .  0.82 

Albuminoids     . 0.86 

Fat 0.26 

Crude  cellulose 4.53 

Non-nitrogenous  extractive  matter     .         .         .  8.49 

By  comparing  the  two  tables  it  will  be  seen  that  the 
Ensilage  contains  over  29  per  cent  more  dry  matter  than 
the  whole  plant  in  the  milk;  over  41  per  cent  more  of 
crude  cellulose  ;  over  138  per  cent  more  of  fat ;  over  81 
per  cent  more  albuminoids  ;  over  5  per  cent  more  of  non- 
nitrogenous  extract  matter  ;  over  1 1 5  per  cent  more  ash 
(or  mineral  constituents). 

It  will  also  be  seen  that  the  nutritive  ratio  of  the 
Ensilage  is  one  part  of  albuminoids  to  6^  parts  of  non- 
nitrogenous  extractive  matter  (digestible  carbo-hydrates) . 
This  makes  its  nutritive  ratio  a  little  better  than  timothy 
hay,  which  is,  according  to  Dr.  Wolff,  i  to  8yV>  but  not 
quite  as  good  as  average  clover  hay,  which  is  i  to  5-^. 
By  this  analysis  Ensilage  would  seem  to  be  much  nearer 
a  perfect  food  than  I  have  supposed.  If  the  results  of 
careful  experiments  in  feeding  coincide  with  the  above 
analysis,  the  system  of  Ensilage  is  far  more  perfect  and 
important  than  I  have  even  hoped. 

I  shall  institute  a  series  of  experiments  to  test  this 
point ;  for,  however  satisfactory  a  chemical  analysis  may 
be,  the  real  touchstone  is  the  feeding  value  demon- 
strated by  careful  and  repeated  experiments. 

What  farmers  want  to  know  is  not  what  an  article  of 
food  is  worth  chemically,  but  how  much  it  is  worth  to 
feed  to  their  stock. 

My  experiments  thus  far  satisfy  me  that  the  value  of 
corn-fodder  is  doubled  by  the  softening  and  fermentive 
process  which  it  undergoes  in  the  Silos  ;  that  two  tons  of 


ANALYSIS   OF  ENSILAGE.  99 

it  are  worth  more  to  feed  than  four  tons  of  corn-fodder 
fresh  from  the  fields,  or  one  ton  of  best  timothy  hay. 

I  received  the  above  analysis  the  last  of  April,  and  at 
once  resolved  to  test  it  by  experimentation.  April  29  I 
selected  two  thoroughbred  two-year-old  Jersey  bulls, 
and  weighed  them.  "  Rossmore  "  weighed  960  pounds, 
"  Hero  "  weighed  890  pounds.  "  Rossmore  "  was  fed 
40  pounds  of  Ensilage  daily,  and  nothing  else.  "  Hero  " 
was  fed  40  pounds  of  Ensilage  and  three  pounds  of 
wheat-bran  daily,  and  nothing  more.  June  2  I  weighed 
them  again,  and  found  that  "  Rossmore "  weighed  960 
pounds,  having  neither  gained  nor  lost ;  showing,  so  far 
as  one  experiment  could,  that  40  pounds  of  Ensilage 
containing  over  80  per  cent  of  water  was  sufficient  to 
sustain  in  a  healthy  condition  the  functions  of  the 
animal  system,  and  replace  the  waste  tissue.  His  hair 
was  smooth,  he  appeared  to  be  satisfied,  and  Sylvester 
thought  he  was  gaining.  "'Hero"  at  this  time  weighed 
943  pounds,  being  a  gain  of  53  pounds  in  34  days,  or 
I-55if  pounds  daily:  as  it  took  the  40  pounds  of  Ensi- 
lage to  sustain  the  animal,  it  follows,  that  102  pounds  of 
wheat-bran,  fed  with  the  Ensilage,  produced  53  pounds 
of  beef  (live  weight). 


CHAPTER  XVIII. 

HOW  TO    PRESERVE   GREEN   CORN   FOR  THE   TABLE. 

DURING  my  visit  at  "  Linden  Grove,"  the  home  of  T. 
S.  Cooper,  the  well-known  importer  of  choice,  high-class 
Berkshires  and  Oxfordshire-down  sheep  (see  portrait  of 
Frceland),  upon  my  describing  Ensilage  to  Mr.  and 
Mrs.  Cooper  one  evening,  I  was  surprised  and  pleased 
to  learn  from  Mrs.  Cooper  that  she  had  been  Ensilaging 
green  corn  for  a  long  time  for  her  table.  I  asked  her  to 
tell  me  how  she  prepared  it,  and  she  replied  as  follows : 
"  I  take  fresh  ears  of  green  sweet  corn,  cut  the  corn 
from  the  cobs,  pack  it  down  solidly  in  a  large  stone  jar, 
cover  it  on  the  top  with  about  two  inches  of  salt,  put  a 
follower  on  the  salt,  and  weight  it.  Whenever  I  wish  to 
prepare  some  for  the  table,  I  soak  it  until  fresh,  or 
change  the  water  in  which  I  boil  it  as  often  as  necessary. 
When  it  is  cooked,  I  drain  the  water  from  it  by  letting  it 
stand  in  a  colander  a  few  minutes,  then  season  to  suit  ; 
or,  after  it  is  nearly  done,  the  water  may  be  drained  off, 
and  nice  rich  milk  added,  in  which  let  it  simmer  until 
ready  to  serve." 


100 


CHAPTER  XIX. 

MY  EXPERIENCE  WITH  SUGAR-BEETS. COST  OF  RAISING  ONE* 

FOURTH  OF  AN  ACRE,  AND  THE  YIELD. 


DEBIT. 

Seed          .        .        .        .       •.        .        .        .        <-..;...»        .  $i  50 

12  bushels  wood-ashes «        .  i  So 

loo  pounds  salt 50 

2\  cords  manure  at  $6  per  cord        .        .        .        .        .     'V        .  15  oo 

Ploughing  twice         ..........200 

Cultivating  and  harrowing        .         .         .         .        »-•..»        .        .  i  oo 

Raking  the  ground  half  a  day  .                 50 

Planting  one-fourth  day    .........  25 

Weeding  and  thinning,  4  clays 4  oo 

Harvesting,  2  days :.     '   ,        '.  2  oo 


Total .  -    ,.  '      .        .  •'   .     £28  55 

CREDIT. 

252  bushels  at  60  Ibs.  to  the  bushel,  15,120  Ibs.  at  $4  per  ton .        .     $30  24 
One-half  the  value  of  the  manure,  salt,  and  ashes  left  in  the  ground       8  65 

Total /       .        ,        .    $38  89 

Cost 28  55 

Profit $10  34 

The  piece  of  land  was  broken  up  a  year  ago  last  spring,  planted  that 
season  with  potatoes  and  beans,  manured  HgJitly  in  the  hill.  The  beetles 
ate  the  potato-vines  all  up,  so  that  potatoes  there  were  none  :  the  beans 
bore  a  very  light  crop.  Before  it  was  broken  up,  the  land  produced 
perhaps  half  a  ton  of  hay  to  the  acre  of  fine  June  grass.  This  was  the 
first  time  I  ever  raised  sugar-beets,  and  the  result  so  well  satisfied  me 
that  if  there  were  a  beet-sugar  factory  near  me  I  would  raise  five  to 
ten  acres  next  year.  The  profit  on  an  acre  would  be  $41.36,  which  is 


102  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

more  than  any  thing  else  has  yielded,  except  land  cultivated  by  our 
market-gardeners. 

I  have  no  fears  but  what,  by  applying  i  J  cords  of  manure  to  the  same 
piece,  I  could  raise  ten  to  twelve  tons  another  time,  for  I  learned  some- 
thing last  season.  I  had  them  too  thick :  the  rows  were  twenty-eight 
inches  apart,  and  as  my  men  hated  to  pull  up  nice  plants  they  left  them 
too  close  together.  Next  year  I  shall  plant  the  rows  three  feet  apart, 
and  thin  to  twelve  inches.  I  shall  not  try  this  piece  with  i£  cords  of 
manure,  however :  I  shall  put  on  at  least  three  cords.  I  raised  225 
bushels  of  long  red  mangels  on  one-eighth  of  an  acre,  right  alongside  of 
the  sugar-beets,  and  on  another  eighth  of  an  acre  side  of  them  160 
bushels  of  yellow  globe  mangels.  All  these  pieces  were  manured  alike 
and  cultivated  the  same. 

Now,  I  want  to  inquire  whether  I  had  better  spread  about  200  loads 
of  manure  on  the  land  I  intend  to  break  up  next  spring,  as  I  get  it  out 
next  week ;  or  put  it  in  a  pile,  and  spread  it  in  the  spring  after  plough- 
ing, the  ground  being  frozen.  I  cleaned  my  barn-cellar  out  in  October. 
The  cellar  is  cemented  on  the  bottom,  and  the  walls  pointed  with  cement. 
I  have  made  this  manure  since  then.  I  have  thirty-two  head  of  cattle, 
four  horses  in  the  barn  and  twenty-nine  head  of  swine  in  the  cellar. 

I  had  no  idea  how  much  manure  I  was  losing  until  I  cemented  the 
cellar  bottom.  I  have  been  constantly  throwing  in  dry  loam  and  muck 
at  the  rate  of  one  to  two  loads  per  day,  besides  bedding  my  cattle  with 
sand  and  the  horses  with  meadow-hay ;  and  now,  since  the  urine  of  all 
the  animals  is  saved,  the  pig-pens  which  extend  under  all  the  stalls  and 
lintels  are  so  wet  and  soft  that  the  hogs  are  unable  to  get  from  one  end 
to  the  other. 

I  feed  one  hundred  pounds  of  cotton-seed  meal,  sixty  pounds  of  corn 
meal,  fifty  pounds  of  shorts,  and  twenty-four  quarts  of  oats  daily,  besides 
the  food  of  the  swine.  I  believe  that  dry  muck  or  loam  thoroughly  sat- 
urated with  urine  from  animals  fed  as  above,  and  worked  up  into  a  per- 
fect mush,  is  as  good  to  grow  crops  as  the  same  bulk  of  solid  excrement. 
Am  I  right?  I  should  like  to  know  whether  I  had  better  spread  my 
manure  on  the  ground,  or  pile  it. 

Yours  respectfully, 

JOHN  M.  BAILEY. 

WINNING  FARM,  Nov.  i,  1878. 


From  this  experiment  I  am  satisfied  that  sugar-beets 
can  be  raised  at  a  profit.     The  sugar-factories  are  now 


SUGAR-BEETS.  103 

paying  five  dollars  per  ton,  which  would  make  the  profit 
on  my  quarter  of  an  acre  $17.90,  or  at  the  rate  of  $71.60 
per  acre ;  but,  in  order  to  realize  the  greatest  profit,  the 
pulp  should  be  returned  to  the  farm,  and  fed  out  to  the 
stock  thereon.  By  the  system  of  preserving  cattle-food 
in  Silos,  this  can  be  done  most  economically.  A  small 
Silo  ten  feet  wide,  twenty  feet  long,  and  ten  feet  deep, 
will  hold  about  sixty  tons  of  pulp.  By  covering  it  with 
a  little  straw,  and  upon  that  a  flooring  of  plank,  with 
weights  upon  it,  the  same  as  in  the  Silos  of  corn  Ensi- 
lage, it  may  be  kept  for  a  long  time.  The  beet-pulp, 
containing  as  it  does  all  the  nutrition  except  a  part  of 
the  sugar,  would  be  an  excellent  food  to  feed  with  the 
corn  Ensilage.  It  is  also  a  very  good  article  of  food  for 
swine  by  itself.1 

In  regard  to  the  manure,  I  have  demonstrated  by 
several  careful  experiments  since  the  above  was  written, 
that  the  best  time  and  way  to  apply  manure  is  when  you 
have  time,  and  with  a  broadcast  manure-spreader. 

1  I  have  learned,  since  writing  the  above,  that  the  best  way  to  raise  sugar-beets 
is  to  have  the  rows  eighteen  inches  apart,  and  to  thin  to  nine  inches. 


CHAPTER  XX. 

SUMMARY. 

To  sum  up,  I  will  say  that  large  Silos  40  to  50  feet 
long,  15  to  1 8  feet  wide,  and  1 6  to  24  feet  deep,  are  the 
cheapest :  they  will  not  cost  more  than  one  dollar  for 
each  ton's  capacity.  As  two  tons  of  Ensilage  are  worth 
more  than  one  ton  of  English  or  timothy  hay,  the  com- 
parative economy  of  Ensilage  is  at  once  manifest.  They 
require  no  repairs,  and  if  properly  built  will  last  for  ages. 

The  cost,  therefore,  of  storage-room  for  Ensilage  is 
about  six  cents  per  ton  yearly.  In  order  to  store  its 
equivalent  of  hay  as  cheaply,  a  barn  to  store  a  hundred 
tons  of  hay  would  have  to  be  built  for  two  hundred  dollars. 
My  plans  of  building  Silos  are  cheaper  than  to  dig  pits 
in  the  ground.  The  small  pits  which  are  used  in  France, 
and  described  by  Charles  L.  Flint,  Secretary  State  Board 
of  Agriculture,  in  his  last  report,  would  cost  much  more 
to  construct,  the  labor  of  filling  and  weighting  them  be 
much  greater. 

Since  the  publication  of  the  last  State  Agricultural  Re- 
port, I  have  had  the  pleasure  of  showing  my  system  of 
Ensilage  to  Secretary  Flint.  After  critically  examining 
the  Silos,  the  Ensilage,  and  the  stock  fed  upon  it,  he  de- 
clared "  that  the  system  of  Ensilage  would  work  a  per- 
fect revolution  in  agricultural  methods  in  this  country." 
The  system  of  Ensilage  reduces  the  comparative  value 


104 


ENSILAGE    VS.  HAY.  105 

of  good  timothy  hay  to  four  dollars  per  ton,  and  of 
hay-barns  to  two  dollars  for  each  ton's  capacity.  The 
labor  of  feeding  is  lessened  very  materially ;  the  health, 
condition,  and  appearance  of  the  stock  is  immeasurably 
improved.  In  short,  it  \vill  bring  about,  upon  its  general 
introduction  and  adoption,  an  agricultural  millennium  — 
almost. 


CHAPTER  XXI. 

EFFECT    OF    ALCOHOLIC     FERMENTATION     IN     ENSILAGE     UPON 
"  GILT-EDGED     BUTTER." 

THE  following  letter  was  received  from  a  gentleman 
with  whom  I  have  had  considerable  correspondence 
upon  the  subject  of  "  Ensilage." 

SODUS,  WAYNE  COUNTY,  N.Y.,  April  16, 1880. 
MR.  JOHN  M.  BAILEY. 

Dear  Sir,  —  Yesterday  I  received  a  visit  from  Professor  L.  B.  Arnold, 
the  dairy-writer.  The  subject  of  "  Ensilage  "  came  up,  and  its  effect  on 
" gilt-edged  butter"  &c.  He  is  very  strong  of  the  opinion  that  the 
alcoholic  fermentation  that  is  begun  will  injure  the  fine  flavor  and  text- 
ure that  is  desirable  in  my  trade.  I  am  very  anxious  to  read  your  book 
so  as  to  clear  up  these  points ;  and,  if  there  is  any  thing  further  that  you 
can  say  on  the  subject,  I  would  be  very  glad  to  hear  from  you. 

I  haven't  got  that  copy  of  the  paper  with  your  article,  "  How  to  pro- 
duce milk  for  one  cent  a  quart,  butter  for  ten  cents  a  pound,  beef  for 
four  cents  a  pound,  and  pork  for  three  cents  a  pound,"  yet. 

Respectfully, 

A.  J.  RICE. 

P.  S.  Just  received  and  read  it. 

As  Professor  Arnold  is  so  great  an  authority,  as  he  is 
supposed  to  know  every  thing  concerning  dairy  matters, 
it  will  doubtless  be  deemed  presumptuous  in  me  to  say, 
and  attempt  to  prove,  that  the  learned  professor  is  mis- 
taken. Let  us  consider  through  what  organs,  changes, 

106 


ALCOHOL   ON  BUTTER,  IO/ 

and  circumstances  the  small  amount  of  alcohol  (which  is 
found  in  the  Ensilage)  passes  before  it  can  reach  the 
butter. 

In  the  first  place,  the  alcohol  is  only  an  incident  to  the 
great  change  which  has  been  taking  place  in  the  Ensi- 
laged forage.  This  change,  which  is  so  important  and  so 
useful,  is  the  conversion  of  the  starch  contained  in  the 
plants  into  sugar.  The  formation  of  alcohol  is  only  a 
nutritive  barometer  which  tells  us  that  sugar  has  been 
formed.  The  odor  of  alcohol  is  hardly  perceptible  until 
after  the  Ensilage  has  been  exposed  to  the  action  of  the 
oxygen  of  the  atmosphere  twelve  to  twenty-four  hours. 

Therefore,  if  the  professor  is  correct,  it  is  in  the  power 
of  the  dairyman  to  prevent  the  formation  of  alcohol  by 
feeding  direct  from  the  Silo  without  allowing  the  alco- 
holic fermentation  to  take  place.  Thus,  if  an  evil,  it  is 
easily  avoided. 

In  the  second  place,  the  small  amount  of  alcohol  pres- 
ent in  the  Ensilage  (I  have  never  seen  any  of  my  cows 
intoxicated)  is  mixed  with  the  saliva  during  the  process 
of  mastication,  and  passes  with  the  Ensilage  into  the 
first  stomach,  or  paunch,  thence  into  the  second  stomach. 
It  is  then  re-masticated  by  chewing  the  cud,  and  passes 
into  the  third  stomach,  thence  into  the  fourth  stomach, 
where  it  is  digested. 

When  cows  are  fed  upon  Ensilage,  I  have  noticed 
that  their  breath  is  particularly  sweet,  as  if  fed  upon  the 
sweetest  grasses.  From  the  stomach  it  passes  into  the 
intestines,  from  which  that  part  of  their  contents  neces- 
sary for  the  nourishment  of  the  animal  economy  is  taken 
up  by  two  sets  of  vessels  ;  first,  the  blood-vessels  of  the 
intestines,  and  passes  through  the  portal  vein  to  the 
liver.  There  the  portal  vein  is  divided  and  subdivided 
into  an  infinity  of  minute  branches  as  they  reach  the  lit- 


108  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

tie  glandular  lobules  which  compose  the  liver.  Here 
they  break  up  into  a  plexus  of  microscopic  vessels  as 
fine  as  those  which  originally  absorbed  from  the  intestines 
the  nutritive  matter  with  which  they  are  filled.  These 
minute  vessels  fill  the  entire  substance  of  the  liver  with 
a  vascular  net-work.  Then  these  little  vessels  collect 
together  again,  and  unite  into  larger  ones,  until  at  last 
they  leave  the  liver  as  the  hepatic  vein,  which  conveys 
the  nutritive  matter  called  chyle.  Chyle  is  also  absorbed 
by  the  lacteal  vessels,  and  conveyed  by  the  thoracic  duct 
to  the  sub-clavian  vein,  and  by  both  sets  of  vessels  is 
conveyed  into  and  finally  mingled  with  the  venous  blood 
returning  to  the  heart.  By  the  contraction  of  the  right 
auricle  it  is  forced  into  the  right  ventricle,  which  in  turn 
contracts,  and  forces  the  blood  into  the  pulmonary  artery, 
which  conveys  the  blood,  chyle,  and  —  alcohol  ?  —  to 
the  lungs.  There  this  artery  divides  into  numberless 
branches  which  penetrate  and  encircle  all  the  minute 
spaces  between  and  about  the  air-vesicles.  Here  the 
blood  is  subjected  to  the  action  of  the  air  which  is  in- 
haled by  the  lungs.  Now,  alcohol  is  very  volatile ;  and  if 
any  of  the  alcohol  has  got  thus  far  with  the  blood  on  its 
way  to  the  milk,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  would  all 
be  thrown  off  with  the  expiration  of  the  breath. 

But,  having  followed  it  thus  far,  let  us  go  clear 
through  to  the  churn,  whether  the  alcohol  keeps  up  with 
us  or  not 

From  the  lungs  the  blood  is  returned  to  the  heart, 
which  by  the  contraction  of  the  left  ventricle  forces  it  all 
through  the  system.  A  large  amount  of  blood  is  carried 
to  the  milk-glands.  The  milk-glands'  office  is  to  secrete 
milk.  They  secrete  nothing  else  which  is  in  the  blood 
excepting  those  elements  which  constitute  milk,  —  pro- 
viding the  animal  is  in  a  healthy  condition. 


ALCOHOL   ON  BUTTER.  109 

But  we  will  suppose,  for  the  sake  of  the  argument,  that 
the  alcohol  is  secreted  by  the  milk-glands,  and  is  drawn 
from  the  udder  mingled  with  the  milk.  A  portion  of  it 
rises  with  the  cream,  and  is  churned.  Of  course  a  large 
portion  of  this  alcohol,  which  has  got  thus  far,  must 
remain  in  the  buttermilk :  the  remainder  must  be  so 
infinitesimally  small  that  it  could  have  no  perceptible 
effect  upon  the  butter. 

It  is  evident  that  the  professor  means,  when  he  says 
that  the  "  fine  flavor  and  texture  "  will  be  injured  by  the 
alcohol,  that  this  injury  is  accomplished  by  the  bodily 
presence  of  alcohol  in  such  a  quantity  as  to  destroy  the 
integrity  of  the  butter  globules  ;  in  other  words,  to 
"  cut"  the  butter  as  oil  is  "  cut"  when  it  is  shaken  in  a 
bottle  with  strong  alcohol. 

Now,  this  alcohol,  which  goes  all  the  way  through  the 
various  organs  of  the  cow  until  it  is  found  in  the  butter, 
—  be  the  amount  greater  or  smaller,  —  certainly  cannot 
be  very  high  "proof ;  "  and  dilute  alcohol  has  no  power 
to  disintegrate  butter,  for  you  cannot  "cut"  ever  so 
small  an  amount  of  any  kind  of  oil  with  alcohol  the 
strength  of  which,  at  once  small,  grows  beautifully  less 
by  being  subjected  to  unlimited  dilution  every  time  the 
cow  drinks,  and  to  evaporation  every  time  she  breathes. 

There  are  millions  of  excretory  ducts,  organs,  and 
glands,  in  the  animal  organism,  whose  office  it  is  to 
remove  from  the  system  the  waste  tissue  and  such  use- 
less substances  (alcohol  for  instance)  from  the  system 
as  may  have  been  taken  up  by  the  absorbents.  Does 
Professor  Arnold  expect  he  can  run  alcohol  through  a 
cow  with  these  millions  of  leaks  for  it  to  escape  by,  and 
catch  it  in  the  milk-pail  strong  enough  to  disintegrate 
butter  ? 

But  the  milk-glands  are  not  excretory,  but  secretory 


110  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

organs,  whose  office  it  is  to  secrete  milk,  not  to  remove 
useless  matters  from  the  organism.  Even  if  an  infinitely 
small  amount  of  alcohol  could  get  into  the  milk  (which  is 
absurd),  and  if  it  had  the  power  to  disintegrate  or  "  cut" 
(in  a  measure)  butter  (which  it  would  not) ,  I  fail  to  see 
how  it  could  injure  the  flavor  (and  every  thing  but  the 
pure  alcohol  would  be  there  anyway) .  Why,  alcohol  is 
the  vehicle  in  which  the  most  delicate  flavors  are  pre- 
served, while  the  sweetest  odors  of  the  roses  of  June  are 
saved  by  incorporating  them  into  alcohol. 

I  think  I  have  demonstrated,  first,  that  if  the  pure 
alcohol  gets  into  the  milk  it  could  do  no  harm  to  the 
flavor  of  the  butter ;  second,  that  it  would  be  infinitely 
diluted,  so  as  to  be  powerless  to  affect  the  texture ; 
third,  that  the  amount  would  be  infinitesimally  small, 
that  it  could  not  be  detected  ;  and,  fourth,  that  none 
could  get  there  at  all. 

Now,  my  friend  Rice,  let  us  prove  this  thing  by  actual 
experiment.  Give  to  each  of  your  cows  daily  a  table- 
spoonful  of  alcohol  (which  is  more  than  there  is  in  a 
cow's  daily  ration  of  Ensilage)  ;  sprinkle  it  upon  their 
food ;  examine  the  butter  critically  which  is  made  while 
the  alcohol  is  being  administered :  if  it  is  injured  in 
flavor  or  texture  in  the  least,  the  professor  is  right, 
and  I  am  wrong ;  if,  on  the  other  hand,  it  is  uninjured, 
why,  for  once  he  is  mistaken. 


CHAPTER   XXII. 

MODEL  DAIRY  STABLE  ADAPTED  TO  THE  SYSTEM  OF  ENSILAGE. 

FIG.  No.  i  (see  next  page)  shows  the  ground-plan 
of  a  dairy  establishment  76  feet  wide,  127  feet  long, 
capable  of  accommodating  1 18  cows,  the  necessary  young 
cattle  if  dairy  stock  is  to  be  raised,  or,  if  cows  are  bought, 
ample  room  for  a  flock  of  100  sheep,  together  with  their 
year's  supply  of  forage.  There  is  an  engine-room  at  the 
right-hand  corner,  12  X  18  feet ;  next,  a  12  X  14  feet  milk 
and  butter  room,  small  shaft  enters  to  attach  churn  to. 
Next,  three  box-stalls,  8x12  feet,  opening  out  of  a 
passage-way  six  feet  wide,  which  leads  from  the  principal 
feeding-floor  to  the  milk  and  engine  room.  The  milk 
and  butter  room  is  sheathed  up  on  the  outside  with  well- 
seasoned,  planed,  and  matched  lumber,  and  plastered  on 
the  inside,  with  double  doors  to  prevent  any  odors  from 
entering.  The  floor  of  the  engine  and  butter  rooms,  and 
of  the  entire  establishment,  is  cement. 

A,  A,  A,  represent  an  elevated  track,  upon  which  a 
box  holding  Ensilage  enough  to  feed  25  cows  is  sus- 
pended. This  track  is  overhead  in  the  centre  of  the 
feed-floors. 

The  first  floor  into  which  the  Silos  open  is  12  feet 
wide  ;  next  to  this  is  a  manger  2 £  feet  wide ;  next  is  the 
lintel  floor,  four  feet  ten  inches  wide ;  next,  gutter,  one 


112 


THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 


'9,4* 


If  Kf9 


V* 


cx2 


\ 


MODEL  DAIRY  STABLE. 


1 14  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

foot ;  next,  passage-way,  four  feet ;  next,  gutter,  one  foot ; 
then  another  lintel,  five  feet  ten  inches  ;  next,  a  manger, 
2\  feet  (by  mistake  it  is  drawn  as  two  feet :  the  lintel 
floors  are  also  drawn  5!  feet  wide,  they  should  be  4  feet 
10  inches  to  5  feet  wide) ;  now  comes  feed-floor  from 
which  two  rows  of  cows  are  fed  ;  between  this  floor  and 
the  next  are  two  lintels,  with  mangers,  gutters,  and  pas- 
sage-way as  above ;  then  comes  the  last  passage-way  or 
feed-floor ;  upon  one  side  of  this  floor  the  lintel  extends 
clear  across  the  structure.  The  space  18  X  56  feet  on 
the  left  of  the  Silos  may  be  used  as  a  sheep-shed,  or  be 
subdivided  to  suit  for  the  keeping  of  calves,  &c. 

Fig.  2  is  an  elevation  of  the  same,  showing  the  general 
shape  of  the  superstructure,  also  position  and  an  end 
view  of  the  mangers,  position  of  the  gutters,  which 
should  be  about  six  inches  deep  ;  also  sloping  floor  upon 
which  the  cows  stand  ;  this  floor  should  incline  towards 
the  gutter,  one  inch  at  least  to  the  foot.  On  this  side 
of  the  stable  there  should  be  three  sliding  doors,  one  at 
the  corner,  the  others  in  centres  of  the  double  lintels. 
They  should  be  nine  feet  wide,  so  that  the  manure  can  be 
loaded  upon  a  manure-spreader  or  cart,  and  be  hauled 
directly  to  the  fields,  and  spread  upon  the  land. 

The  dotted  line  at  the  left  hand  shows  that  portion 
of  the  Silos  which  is  under  ground.  This  figure  is 
drawn  with  the  posts  16  feet  high,  which  is  higher  than 
is  necessary:  10  feet  is  ample.  The  Silos  are  18  X  48 
feet  inside,  and  23  feet  deep:  they  will  hold  1,000  tons 
of  Ensilage,  which  is  sufficient  to  feed  100  cows  one 
year.  The  rye  Ensilage,  which  can  be  raised  upon  the 
same  land  as  the  i  ,000  tons  of  corn  Ensilage,  will  furnish 
plenty  of  feed  to  keep  the  other  18  cows,  the  calves 
and  young  stock,  or  100  to  150  sheep. 

Fig.  3    shows   how  the   travelling   feed-box   may  be 


MODEL   DAIRY  STABLE. 


I  I 


constructed.  The  bottom  is  sloped  up  at  the  end ; 
the  head-boards  can  be  taken  out.  A  12  to  16  tined 
fork,  such  as  is  used  to  handle  charcoal,  may  be  used 
to  feed  with.  A  little  experience  will  enable  the  feeder 
to  measure  upon  the  fork  the  necessary  amount  of 
Ensilage  to  each  cow.  If  the  IMPROVED  Ensilage  is 


FIG.  3. 

used,  it  will  not  take  one  man  more  than  one  hour  to 
feed  the  whole  1 18  cows.  If  the  grain  be  fed  separately, 
it  will  take  at  least  an  hour  to  feed  the  grain  alone. 
This  feed-box  is  made  four  feet  long,  23  feet  wide,  and 
2j  feet  high. 


II 6  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

This  dairy  establishment  can  be  built,  Silos  and  all, 
for  less  than  one-half  the  cost  of  the  necessary  storage 
and  stable  room,  when  the  same  amount  of  stock  are 
kept  upon  hay  and  grain. 

The  corn-fodder  and  green  rye  necessary  to  keep  the 
118  cows,  calves,  and  yearlings  or  sheep,  can  be  raised 
upon  30  acres  of  good  land,  while  upon  a  hay  and  grain 
diet  it  would  require  at  least  1 1 8  acres  of  the  very  best 
land  to  keep  the  cows  alone. 

Ensilage  will  re-people  and  restore  the  old  deserted 
farms  of  New  England.  Thousands  of  these  farms,  with 
comfortable  buildings,  can  be  bought  for  less  than  half 
the  improvements  would  cost. 

The  hitherto  insurmountable  difficulty  has  been  to  get 
a  stock  of  manure  to  begin  with,  there  being  none  for 
sale  in  the  back  counties,  and  the  transportation  from  the 
cities  would  make  it  cost  too  much.  I  propose  to  show 
how  that  obstacle  can  be  overcome.  Let  the  purchaser 
of  one  of  these  old  farms  commence  operations  in  the 
spring.  He  will  require  a  pair  of  good  strong  horses,  and 
need  a  couple  of  cows,  a  dozen  or  two  of  fowls,  and  ought 
to  have  four  good  breeding-sows  and  a  Berkshire  boar. 
Turn  the  cows  and  the  hogs  out  to  pasture  ;  cut  down 
and  burn  the  bushes  upon  the  best  of  the  old  grass-fields  ; 
the  last  of  May  and  the  first  of  June  break  up  15  acres, 
turning  under  the  green  growth  ;  if  there  is  a  good  thick 
sod,  it  would  pay  to  sow  broadcast  100  pounds  of  nitrate 
of  soda  to  the  acre  about  the  2Oth  of  April :  this  will 
stimulate  the  grass  to  grow,  and  give  a  much  larger 
green  crop  to  turn  under.  After  breaking,  harrow  twice 
with  the  Randall  disk-harrow,  then  with  the  smoothing- 
harrow.  Plant  in  drills  four  feet  apart,  using  half  a 
bushel  of  Mammoth  Ensilage  seed-corn  to  the  acre, 
and  distribute  in  the  drills  200  to  300  pounds  of  Bradley's 


HOW  TO  RESTORE   THE   OLD  FARM. 


117 


X  L  phosphate,  or  any  other  equally  good  and  reliable 
fertilizer,  if  you  can  obtain  it.  I  have  used  the  X  L 
phosphate  for  many  years,  and  it  has  never  disappointed 
me.  On  land  where  there  is  but  little  grass  to  turn 
under,  better  broadcast  from  200  to  300  pounds  of  phos- 
phate, and  harrow  it  in  before  planting.  The  corn 
comes  up  large  and  strong,  with  a  dark,  healthy  green 
color :  it  soon  carries  it  out  of  the  way  of  the  cut-worm, 
and  is  sufficient  for  its  rapid  growth  until  the  rootlets 
reach  the  mass  of  decaying  vegetable  matter  turned 
under,  which  is  one  of  the  best  fertilizers  to  make  an  im- 
mense growth  of  corn.  The  corn  will  be  ten  days  earlier, 
and  twice  as  large,  for  the  phosphate.  In  short,  about 
200  pounds  of  standard  fertilizer  to  the  acre  in  the  drill 
will  pay,  no  matter  how  much  stable-manure  you  may 
have.  The  labor  saved  of  preparing,  composting,  and 
distributing  the  stable-manure  will  pay  for  and  apply  the 
phosphate,  so  that  whatever  fertilizing  material  there  is 
in  the  phosphate  actually  costs  nothing. 

1 5  acres,  planted  and  fertilized  as  above,  will  produce 
at  least  300  tons  of  corn-fodder.  After  planting  is 
finished,  build  two  Silos  after  the  plan  on  page  73,  but 
larger,  say  15  feet  wide,  12  or  15  feet  high,  and  30  to  35 
feet  long  :  they  will  cost  about  $80  to  $100  for  cement, 
lumber,  and  extra  labor  in  laying  the  wall,  besides  the 
labor  of  the  farmer  and  his  team.  Now  the  man  who  has 
followed  my  plan  thus  far,  and  Ensilaged  his  corn-fodder, 
will  find  himself,  at  the  approach  of  winter,  with  ample 
forage  to  keep  30  cows  the  year  round,  or  to  winter  60 
head,  or  five  cows  and  250  to  300  sheep.  If  he  has 
money  enough,  and  his  wife  is  a  strong  and  able  help- 
mate, and  they  fancy  dairying,  let  him  buy  25  good  new- 
milch  cows,  sell  butter,  and  follow  the  advice  given  Syl- 
vester with  swine. 


Il8  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

If  he  has  but  little  money,  or  does  not  like  dairying, 
let  him  take  sheep  to  keep  upon  shares,  saving  the  best 
ewe  lambs.  The  sale  of  wool  and  ram  lambs  will  give 
him  a  good  revenue.  In  the  spring,  if  he  has  used,  as 
he  should,  plenty  of  dry  muck  or  loam  for  absorbents,  he 
will  have  a  pile  of  manure  which  will  make  the  old  field 
smile.  Thereafter  pursue  the  course  laid  down  (see 
page  37),  —  sow  winter  rye  (applying  the  stable-manure 
broadcast  during  the  fall  and  winter) ,  to  cut  and  Ensilage 
in  May  or  the  first  of  June,  then  plough  at  once,  and  drill 
in  the  corn  with  phosphate.  Every  year  will  witness 
increased  fertility,  more  stock,  larger  crops,  and  greater 
prosperity. 


CHAPTER  XXIII. 

CONCLUSION    OF   THE    BOOK    OF    ENSILAGE. 

IN  conclusion,  fellow- farmers,  let  me  tell  you  why  I 
have  written  this  book.  In  the  first  place,  I  am  actuated 
by  an  earnest  desire  to  do  all  I  can  to  improve  the  con- 
dition of  the  American  farmer.  His  life  has  been  too 
long  a  life  of  toil  and  drudgery.  He  has  had  little  if 
any  time  for  social  enjoyment  or  intellectual  improve- 
ment. Hard  work  continuously,  accompanied  by  the 
most  parsimonious  economy,  has  been  the  only  way  by 
which  he  could  hope  to  acquire  a  competence  for  his  old 
age.  In  this  fierce  struggle  oftentimes  the  farmer's  wife 
has  had  the  hardest  lot  of  the  two ;  working  from  early 
morn  until  late  at  night,  the  slave  of  a  horde  of  hired 
men  the  profit  on  whose  labor,  by  the  old  systems,  was 
so  slender  that  the  expense  of  a  hired  girl  would  have 
put  the  balance  on  the  wrong  side,  till  at  last,  weary  and 
worn,  too  often  she  lies  down  to  her  last  sleep  when  but 
half  way  on  the  journey  of  life ;  leaving  a  family  of 
children  to  grow  up  as  best  they  may,  without  any  of 
those  tender  and  hallowed  influences  which  ought  to 
surround  every  fireside,  and  make  its  bright  and  happy 
memories  in  after  life  a  golden  shield  of  protection  to 
keep  them  from  straying  from  the  right  way  wherein 
there  is  happiness,  joy,  and  peace. 

The  boys  grow  up.  They  hate  farming :  they  go  to 

119 


120  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

the  city,  and  join  the  already  crowded  trades,  professions, 
or  occupations  ;  and,  in  ninety  cases  out  of  one  hundred, 
their  lives  are  failures. 

The  girls  declare  they  "won't  marry  a  farmer!" 
(That  is  one  reason  why  "  the  boys  leave  the  farm.") 
They  go  into  the  factories,  shops,  and  to  —  God  knows 
where !  let  us  hope  he  will  watch  over  them,  and  guide 
their  footsteps  to  something  better  than  that  which 
awaits  too  many  who  go  to  the  city  fresh  and  pure  as 
the  air  on  their  native  hills,  to  meet  disappointment  and 
privation,  till  at  last  they  sink  out  of  sight,  ruined,  — 
lost! 

What  is  necessary  to  change  all  this,  is  larger  crops, 
more  and  better  stock,  and  consequently  greater  profits. 
This  will  give  the  necessary  leisure  for  improvement,  for 
rest,  and  recreation. 

By  adopting  the  system  of  "  Ensilage,"  the  labor  of  a 
farm  can  be  so  systemized  that  these  opportunities  can 
be  improved,  and  the  farmer's  life  become  in  fact,  what  it 
has  always  been  in  theory,  and  sometimes  in  practice, — 
the  most  independent  and  honorable  of  any  class. 

Secondly,  Since  I  opened  my  Silo,  and  the  papers  all 
gave  more  or  less  accurate  and  detailed  accounts  of  my 
success  in  preserving  corn-fodder  in  its  green  state,  I 
have  received  an  immense  number  of  letters  from  all 
parts  of  the  country,  asking  me  to  "  please  give  them  a 
little  more  information  'how*  I  did  it,"  &c.  Well,  I 
have  answered  several  hundred ;  I  hated  to  refuse  or 
neglect  so  civil  a  request  from  so  large  a  number  of  the 
very  men  whom  I  most  respect ;  but  it  had  come  to  this 
pass,  that  I  had  got  to  employ  an  amanuensis,  and  devote 
my  whole  time  to  diffusing  information  through  the  mails, 
or  refuse  to  answer  nine-tenths  of  the  inquiries. 

Several  hundred  years  ago  they  used  to  diffuse  knowl- 


CONCLUSION  OF  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE.        121 

edge  by  the  means  of  manuscript  sent  to  parties  desiring 
it ;  but  it  soon  struck  me  that  in  this  present  enlightened 
Ensil-age  it  was  not  exactly  "  up  to  the  times  !  "  I  have 
therefore  jotted  down,  as  I  have  had  leisure,  what  I  know 
about  the  system.  I  feel  diffident  in  thus  giving  in- 
struction how  to  proceed,  for  I  know  I  have  much  yet  to 
learn  ;  but  the  farmer  who  carefully  studies  this  book 
will  know  a  great  deal  better  how  to  go  to  work  than  I 
did  when  I  began ;  and  my  cattle  and  sheep  all  told  me 
to-day  (May  25)  that  it  "  was  the  greatest  kind  of  a  suc- 
cess !  "  But  then,  my  stock  like  me,  and  are  doubtless 
partial. 


CHAPTER  XXIV. 

LATEST   RESULTS    IN    PRESERVING   AND    FEEDING. 

SINCE  the  first  edition  of  the  "  Book  of  Ensilage  "  was 
published,  I  have  learned  several  things  connected  with 
the  system,  which  I  consider  of  importance.  First,  I  have 
learned  that  it  is  unwise  to  try  to  raise  two  crops  upon  the 
same  land  in  one  season,  unless  that  land  is  in  a  high  state 
of  fertility;  and  even  then  I  believe  that  it  will  be  better 
to  raise  one  big  crop,  and  devote  the  other  to  fertiliza- 
tion. I  shall  therefore  try  the  following  plan  this  fall  and 
next  season.  As  soon  as  my  Ensilage  corn  is  cleared 
off  of  the  ground,  I  shall  drill  in  rye  with  a  one-horse 
grain-drill  having  five  hoes,  two  of  them  on  each  side 
being  attached  to  wings  like  the  side  pieces  of  an  ordi- 
nary cultivator,  so  that  the  drills  may  be  widened  to 
equally  distribute  the  drills  between  the  rows  of  corn 
stubble,  which  are  undisturbed  whatever  distance  they 
may  be  apart.  At  any  time  during  the  winter,  while  the 
ground  is  frozen,  a  roller  or  drag  will  knock  down  and 
break  off  the  corn-stubble.  In  the  spring,  harrow  with 
a  smoothing-harrow,  or,  what  is  better,  with  the  "  new 
broad- cast  grain  and  corn  cultivator" 

The  latter  part  of  May  I  shall  turn  under  the  green 
rye,  just  as  the  heads  are  making  their  appearance,  and 
drill  in  "  Mammoth  Ensilage  Corn,"  with  200  to  300 


LATEST  RESULTS  IN  PRESERVING  AND  FEEDING.    123 

pounds  of  best  superphosphate  to  the  acre.  This  green- 
manuring,  with  the  fertilizer  to  give  the  corn  a  start,  will 
bring  a  heavy  crop  of  fodder. 

Some  of  my  best  corn  this  year  was  raised  upon  an 
inverted  sod,  with  no  manure  save  250  pounds  of  phos- 
phate in  the  drill. 

Do  not  understand  that  I  shall  not  use  stable-manure. 
I  shall  apply  it  broadcast  during  the  fall,  winter,  and 
early  spring,  upon  the  rye,  using  "  Kemp's  Broadcast 
Manure  Spreader." 

I  am  in  receipt  of  many  inquiries  as  whether  it  will  do 
to  put  fodder  which  is  partly  dry  into  the  Silo,  or  not. 
My  experience  with  rye  answers  this  question  perfectly. 
Owing  to  delays,  I  did  not  get  ready  to  ensilage  my  rye 
this  season  until  the  I2th  of  June,  at  least  two  weeks 
later  than  it  should  have  been.  The  grain  was  two- 
thirds  formed  in  the  heads,  the  straw  was  partly  turned, 
and  altogether  it  was  too  ripe;  -but,  as  an  experiment,  it  is 
much  more  valuable  than  it  would  have  been  had  the 
rye  been  in  its  most  succulent  stage  (we  all  know  it  will 
keep  if  ensilaged  in  that  stage).  The  weather  was 
excessively  hot  and  very  dry.  I  cut  the  rye,  and  for  two 
days  attempted  to  pack  it  in  one  of  my  Silos ;  but  it  was 
so  dry  it  would  not  wilt  enough  to  pack.  I  was  satisfied 
that  the  mass  of  Ensilage  would  contain  so  much  oxygen 
that  it  would  mould  and  spoil  if  put  in  in  that  manner. 
I  therefore  attached  a  hose  to  the  stable  water-pipe,  and 
run  a  spray  of  water  upon  the  cut  rye  as  it  fell  into  the 
Silo  :  this  thorough  wetting  caused  it  to  pack  solidly.  I 
kept  a  horse  constantly  walking  upon  the  rye,  which,  by 
the  way,  is  the  most  economical  way  of  compacting  in 
Silos  as  large  or  larger  than  mine.  I  also  mixed  two 
and  a  half  acres  of  heavy  clover  and  blue-grass  with  the 
10  acres  of  rye.  I  did  not  open  this  rye  and  grass  Ensi- 


124  THE  BOOK   OF  ENSILAGE. 

lage  until  I  was  ready  to  fill  the  balance  of  the  silo  with 
corn  Ensilage. 

On  Sept.  24,  upon  removing  the  weights  and  the  plank 
covering,  there  was  found  a  layer  of  about  an  inch  in 
thickness  of  rye  Ensilage,  which  was  somewhat  mouldy. 
There  was  no  unpleasant  or  musty  smell,  however,  to 
this  layer  ;  and,  when  fed  to  the  cows,  they  seemed  to 
relish  it.  Directly  under  this  thin  layer  the  Ensilage  was 
perfect,  not  the  slightest  mould,  fresh,  and  with  a 
delightful  odor,  excepting  that  it  was  somewhat  too 
strong  of  alcohol.  A  large  basket  of  it  was  taken  to 
the  cows,  which  had  been  at  pasture  all  day,  had  been 
fed  with  all  the  cut  green-corn  fodder  they  would  eat, 
and  had  received  their  evening  grain-ration  ;  no  sooner 
was  it  within  their  reach  than  they  grabbed  the  Ensilage 
as  if  they  were  famished,  and  swallowed  it  as  if  it  were 
the  sweetest  morsel,  never  stopping  an  instant  until  it 
was  all  gone.  The  next  morning  we  commenced  filling 
in  the  corn  on  top  of  the  rye.  Thus,  from  a  threatened 
failure,  we  gain  a  valuable  lesson  ;  and  that  is,  to  wet  the 
forage  if  it  is  not  green  and  succulent. 

The  first  edition  of  2,000  copies  of  "  The  Book 
of  Ensilage"  is  sold  (or  this  new  one  of  5,000  copies 
would  not  have  made  its  appearance),  and  has  received 
a  most  favorable  reception  from  the  press  of  the 
country  and  the  public  generally.  I  am  not  troubled 
that  a  very  few  scientific  men  have  attempted  to  in- 
directly criticise  it,  saying :  First,  "  We  have  known 
all  this  matter  before  this  Bailey  tried  it."  Second, 
"  It  is  absurd  to  suppose  that  the  process  of  Ensilage 
improves  the  forage."  Third,  "  It  is  doubtful  whether  it 
has  any  advantages  over  drying.  And  between  the  lines 
they  plainly  say,  "WE  had  nothing  to  do  with  demon- 
strating the  practical  utility  of  this  system  in  America, 


LATEST  RESULTS  IN  PRESERVING  AND  FEEDING.    125 

THEREFORE  there  is  nothing  in  it  worthy  of  notice.  We 
have  been  trying  this  30  years  to  effect  something  by 
preaching  *  deep  ploughing,'  underdraining,  beet-sugar, 
and  many  other  things  "  (all  of  which  have  fallen  still- 
born upon  the  general  agricultural  mind),  "and  the 
only  monuments  we  have  to  point  to  thus  far,  are  the 
1  beat '  sugar  companies." 

To  the  first  criticism  people  say,  "  If  this  is  so,  why 
have  you  hidden  your  light  under  a  bushel  all  these 
years,  while  we  were  groping  in  the  darkness  ?  " 

To  the  second  criticism,  I  will  only  ask  my  scientific 
friend  if  he  has  ever  thought  of  the  difference  between 
leavened  and  unleavened  bread,  and  if  the  leavening 
does  not  add  to  its  food  value,  —  whether  it  increases  its 
intrinsic  food  elements,  or  not  ? 

In  reply  to  the  third,  I  will  take  the  liberty  of  quoting 
Professor  Knapp  of  the  Iowa  State  Agricultural  College, 
in  a  recent  article  :  — 

"  In  this  climate  the  forage-plants  of  most  luxuriant  growth  are  coarse 
and  succulent,  not  easily  cured,  and  when  dry  contain  much  woody 
fibre.  In  their  green  state  they  are  an  excellent  food  for  stock,  with  little 
waste  ;  in  their  dry  state  a  considerable  proportion  is  indigestible,  which, 
with  the  parts  animals  reject,  constitutes  about  40  per  cent  of  the  whole. 
The  proportion  of  innutritious  parts  depends  much  upon  the  kind, 
coarseness,  time  of  cutting,  manner  of  curing,  storing,  &c. ;  but  it  is 
safe  to  place  the  range  at  from  15  to  50  per  cent.  To  this  should  be 
added  liability  to  damage  by  wet  weather,  owing  to  the  long  time 
required  to  cure  such  crops  in  the  field.  I  emphasize  the  forage-crops, 
because  in  my  judgment  the  future  progressive  agriculture  largely 
depends  upon  the  utilization  of  them.  A  ton  of  green-corn  fodder  can 
be  grown  ready  for  cutting  for  ten  cents,  not  including  interest  on  land, 
On  rich  land  it  can  be  grown  for  six  cents  per  ton.  This  includes  ear 
and  stalk  as  it  stands  in  the  field  ready  for  the  cutter.  The  experiment 
by  Wolff  has  shown,  that,  when  cut  green  early  in  August,  the  amount  of 
crude  fibre  is  less  than  five  per  cent.  Could  it  be  cut  fine,  and  pre- 
served in  this  condition,  the  practical  saving  of  material  would  be  over 
30  per  cent,  not  estimating  for  damage  in  curing  by  reason  of  storms. 


126  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

Another  important  consideration,  impossible  to  estimate  by  percentage, 
is  the  higher  health  of  animals  having  rations  of  green  food. 

"The  consumption  of  a  large  amount  of  dry  corn-fodder,  or  even 
enough  for  daily  subsistence,  has  not  proven  conducive  to  health.  If 
we  consider  economy  of  food  and  health  of  animal  solely,  the  balancing 
of  considerations  must  largely  favor  Ensilage." 

Green  grass  and  other  forage-crops  contain  over  80 
per  cent  of  water ;  in  the  process  of  curing  by  drying, 
about  70  per  cent  is  evaporated.  Now,  this  70  per  cent 
of  water  carries  with  it  a  large  amount  of  valuable  nutri- 
tion. That  which  passes  off  is  just  what  makes  the 
difference  between  June  butter  and  winter  butter.  If  it 
does  not  lose  by  drying  the  first  time,  how  does  it  hap- 
pen that  it  loses  so  much  by  drying  the  second  time, 
after  being  wet  ?  The  wetting  does  not  injure  the  forage, 
else  cut  feed  would  be  injured  by  being  sprinkled,  and 
steaming  fodder  would  be  utter  ruin.  It  is  the  drying, 
after  the  wetting,  that  robs  the  forage  of  its  value.  The 
water  which  is  dried  out  of  the  forage  leaves  it  in 
the  shape  of  hay-tea,  and  the  first  "drawing"  is  the 
strongest. 

Do  not  be  alarmed  if  the  cut  fodder  heats  as  you  are 
filling  the  Silo.  Mr.  Potter  allows  his  Ensilage  to  "  heat" 
before  he  attempts  to  compact  it.  Sufficient  moisture 
and  pressure  will  stop  the  fermentation  at  any  time.  Do 
not  think  it  is  not  preserved,  with  all  its  nutritive  ele- 
ments not  only  unimpaired,  but  improved,  because  it 
does  not  look  as  freshly  green  as  when  waving  in  the 
fields.  There  are  some  persons  who  are  so  difficult  to 
suit,  that  they  are  not  satisfied  unless  they  can  find  under 
the  lid  of  each  can  of  preserved  fruit  a  button-hole  bou- 
quet of  fresh  peach  and  apple  blossoms. 

The  true  test  is,  will  the  cattle  eat  it,  and  do  they 
thrive  upon  it  ?  Mr.  Potter's  clover  Ensilage  comes  out 


LATEST  RESULTS  IN  PRESERVING  AND  FEEDING.    127 

of  his  Silo  in  the  form  of  a  putty-like  substance :  never- 
theless his  stock  thrives  better  upon  it  than  upon  clover 
fresh  from  the  fields. 

Ensilage  has  no  tendency  to  bloat  or  scour  animals. 

M.  H.  Simpson,  President  of  the  Roxbury  Carpet 
Company,  at  his  farm  in  Saxonville,  Mass.,  has  built  Silos 
after  my  plan,  and  has  ensilaged  several  acres  of  Mam- 
moth Ensilage  Corn,  the  stalks  from  30  acres  of  field 
corn,  and  35  acres  of  heavy  rowen.  He  has  opened  his 
Silo,  and  is  feeding  his  ensilaged  rowen  to  his  cows  and 
his  horses,  and  they  eat  it  with  a  keener  relish  than  any 
other  food.  I  have  not  raised  the  75  tons  of  corn-fodder 
upon  an  acre  yet ;  but  from  my  experience  this  season  I 
am  more  than  ever  convinced  that  it  can  be  raised,  and 
I  still  confidently  expect  to  accomplish  it  before  many 
seasons.  Encouraged  by  the  distinguished  approbation 
of  my  fellow-citizens  and  fellow- farmers,  I  shall  continue 
to  experiment.  He  needs  be  a  bold  man  who  ventures 
to  say,  in  this  day  of  improvement  and  progress,  that 
such  and  such  things  cannot  be  accomplished  by  intelli- 
gent and  persevering  effort. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

FATTENING   STEERS,    FEEDING    SWINE,    METHOD     OF    FEEDING, 
WARM   WATER   FOR   STOCK,    ETC. 

IN  the  fall  of  1879  I  had  three  yearling-  steers  come 
down  from  New  Hampshire,  where  they  had  been  at 
pasture,  "  spring  poor,"  as  the  saying  is.  One  was 
a  Jersey ;  the  second,  half  Ayreshire,  the  first  calf  of  a 
Jersey  heifer  less  than  two  years  old  ;  and  the  third  one,  a 
native.  They  were  very  thin,  —  so  reduced  in  flesh  that  I 
thought  it  very  doubtful  about  their  living  through  the 
winter.  From  their  return,  Oct.  15  until  Dec.  3,  I 
tried,  with  the  best  of  hay,  roots,  and  grain,  to  make 
them  gain,  but  with  no  perceptible  success.  On  the  3d 
of  December  I  opened  my  Silo  of  Ensilaged  corn-fodder, 
and  commenced  to  feed  them  with  Ensilage  and  a  small 
quantity  of  wheat- shorts  and  oil-meal.  I  gradually  in- 
creased the  ration,  feeding  no  more  than  they  would  eat 
up  clean.  They  soon  began  to  gain ;  their  hair  looked 
better ;  they  handled  better.  The  improvement,  at  first 
slow,  rapidly  increased  until,  on  the  ninth  day  of  March, 
I  sold  them  for  beef.  Upon  being  slaughtered  the  next 
day,  they  dressed  1,486  pounds  (meat,  hides,  and  tal- 
low). 

On  the  1 2th  of  October,  1880,  I  opened  my  Silo, 
which  was  filled  the  preceding  month.  The  Ensilage 
was  found  to  be  perfectly  preserved,  —  in  color  a  much 
darker  green  than  my  Ensilage  of  the  previous  year,  — 
owing  to  the  corn  being  cut  and  packed  in  the  Silo  in  a 
younger  and  more  succulent  stage.  I  am  more  than  ever 

satisfied  that  the  proper  time  to  cut  the  corn-fodder  is 
128 


FATTENING  STEERS,  ETC.  129 

when  it  is  in  blossom.  Professor  Goessmann  writes,  that 
the  "  corn-plant  contains  the  greatest  amount  of  nutri- 
ment just  before  the  tassel  appears."  He  may  be  right  if 
the  forage  is  to  be  fed  directly  from  the  field.  I  cannot 
but  think,  however,  that  there  would  be  a  loss  in  cutting 
it  so  early  for  preservation  by  Ensilage.  I  do  not  think 
there  can  be  much  loss  even  if  some  of  the  most  forward 
stalks  have  ears  formed,  and  the  kernels  in  the  milk.  The 
yield  will  certainly  be  greater,  as  at  that  time  there  are 
many  smaller  stalks  and  suckers  which  are  still  growing. 

My  method  of  feeding  is  as  follows :  I  remove  from 
the  Silo  50  pounds  of  Ensilage  (about  one  cubic  foot) 
for  each  grown  animal  daily,  mixing  one  pound  of  oil- 
meal  or  wheat-bran  to  every  10  pounds  of  Ensilage. 
I  have  a  large  box  standing  upon  the  barn-floor,  in 
which  I  mix  it  and  let  it  stand  about  twenty-four  hours 
before  feeding.  By  that  time  it  is  quite  warm :  the 
grain  addition  has  had  time  to  become  soft,  and  its 
digestibility  is  undoubtedly  increased  to  a  great  degree. 
There  is  in  every  50  pounds  of  Ensilage  about  40 
pounds  of  water,  —  nearly  all  the  animal  requires.  It  is 
a  great  advantage  to  have  this  amount  of  water  warm 
when  taken  into  the  stomach.  There  has  been  no  labor 
or  fuel  expended  in  warming  it,  which  is  quite  an  item. 
When  animals  are  allowed  to  drink  ice-cold  water  in 
winter,  there  is  quite  a  large  percentage  of  the  food 
which  would  produce  fat  consumed  in  raising  the  tem- 
perature of  the  water  they  drink  from  freezing  cold  to 
blood  heat. 

When  I  opened  my  Silo  Oct.  12,  1880,  I  weighed  20 
head  of  stock,  and  commenced  to  feed  them  upon  the 
Ensilaged  corn.  They  were  all  quite  thin,  having  been 
upon  a  very  poor  pasture  all  summer.  They  could  by 
no  means  be  called  a  thrifty  lot  of  cattle,  or  a  lot  from 


1 3o 


THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 


which  much  gain  could  be  expected  from  their  condi- 
tion, age,  or  breed.  f 

Nov.  15,'  I  weighed  them  again.  During  this  time 
they  were  fed  i  ,000  pounds  of  Ensilage  daily  ;  and  dur- 
ing the  first  1 8  days,  100  pounds  of  cotton-seed  meal 
daily.  During  the  last  15  days  they  were  fed  100 
pounds  of  Brewer's  sprouts  in  lieu  of  the  cotton-seed 
meal.  I  should  have  fed  more  sprouts  ;  but  100  pounds 
were  all  they  would  eat. 

Their  breeding,  condition,  age,  and  weights  are  given 
in  the  following  table  :  — 


No. 

DESCRIPTION. 

AGE. 

WEIGHT 
IN  POUNDS. 

WEIGHT 
IN  POUNDS. 

I 
2 

Grade  Jersey,  in  milk,  fair  condition    . 
Registered  Jersey,  in  calf  7  months, 
fair  condition                . 

14  yrs. 
ic.    " 

Oct.  12. 
1,0474 

QA  C 

Nov.  15. 
I,052| 

0674 

3 

Jersey    cow,    calved     Oct.    24    (calf 
weighed   65   Ibs.),  since  which   she 
has  given  12  to  14  qts.  of  milk  daily  ; 
fair  condition               ...          . 

4    " 

VT-  3 

I.OOO 

875 

4 

1 

Grade  Hereford  heifer,  thin  condition, 
Native  heifer,  fair  condition    .... 
Native  cow,  due  in  February,  very  thin 

2     " 
2£« 

15     " 

790 
925 

QOO 

890 

927i 
02  1; 

7 

Jersey  bull  thin  condition  .     .         . 

4    " 

1,20? 

I,2C,O 

8 
9 

Jersey  heifer,  fair  condition     .... 
Jersey  cow,  in  milk,  thin  condition,  due 
in  January                     

lomos 
4vrs. 

345 
7  co 

375 
780 

10 

Jersey  and  Ayrshire   heifer,  in   milk, 

2     " 

71? 

73° 

ii 

12 

Grade  Jersey  heifer,  very  thin  condition, 
Native  heifer,  due  in  March,  fair  con- 
dition                                 .     .     •     .     . 

2     " 
2     " 

>• 

620 

QOO 

6824 

0224 

13 
14 

:* 

17 

18 

IQ 

Jersey  heifer,  thin  condition    .... 
Grade  Jersey  heifer,  fair  condition  .     . 
Grade  Jersey  heifer,  very  thin  condition, 
Grade  Ayrshire,  very  thin  condition     . 
Jersey  bull,  very  thin  condition   .     .     . 
Jersey  bull,  very  thin  condition   .     .     . 
Jersey  bull  thin  condition                 .     . 

it" 

6mos 
2  yrs. 

;*: 

2     " 

6mos 

490 
280 
550 

570 
950 
880 

IQO 

520 
300 

6124 
640 
1,005 
960 
2IO 

*!* 

20 
21 

Native  heifer,  in  milk,  thin  condition   . 
Jersey  calf,  dam  No.  3,  born  Oct.  24, 

2  yrs 

730 

745 
oo 

14,8474 

15,585 

FATTENING  STEERS,   ETC.  131 

Total  gain 737^  Jbs. 

Gain  per  head 35.12  " 

Gain  per  day,  per  head 1.06  " 

Greatest  gain  per  day,  No.  4 3        " 

The  gain  in  weight,  however  satisfactory  under  the 
circumstances,  does  not  convey  an  accurate  idea  of  their 
real  improvement.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  there  is 
a  much  larger  proportion  of  water  in  a  poor  animal  than 
in  a  fat  one.  The  first  change  which  takes  place  when 
fattening  begins  is  a  decrease  in  the  amount  of  water 
contained  in  the  tissues  of  the  animal ;  and  the  increase 
in  fat,  however  considerable,  does  not  always  make  up 
for  this  loss  of  weight. 

It  is  the  opinion  of  all  who  inspected  the  above  ani- 
mals at  the  beginning  of  the  experiment,  as  well  as  since 
Nov.  15,  that  the  increase  in  weight  does  not  equal  the 
improvement  in  the  quality  of  the  beef.  It  should  also 
be  borne  in  mind  that  the  season  is  the  most  unfavor- 
able for  gain,  being  at  the  commencement  of  cold 
weather,  —  "between  hay  and  grass,"  —  when  cattle 
generally  shrink  in  weight. 

I  am  feeding  my  store  hogs  upon  about  10  pounds  of 
Ensilage  and  one  pound  of  wheat-bran  to  each  animal 
weighing  over  250  pounds.  They  are  doing  well,  and  the 
cost  does  not  exceed  two  cents  per  day.  Clover  pre- 
served by  Ensilage  would  be  excellent,  and  require  no 
grain  added  to  it.  Young  pigs  are  exceedingly  fond  of 
the  Ensilage. 

I  feed  it  occasionally  to  my  work  and  driving  horses. 
It  has  as  good  an  effect  as  an  occasional  feed  of  carrots 
or  other  roots. 

In  taking  the  Ensilage  out  of  the  Silo,  much  labor  will 
be  saved  by  taking  it  out  in  vertical  slices  from  the  top 
down  to  the  bottom  of  the  door,  removing  the  weights  and 


132  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

I 

plank  covering  as  fast  as  necessary.  Place  the  plank  on 
the  undisturbed  mass  in  the  lower  half  of  the  Silo  as 
they  are  removed  from  the  top,  thereby  making  a  floor 
to  stand  upon,  and  to  run  a  car  or  wheelbarrow  upon. 
When  the  end  of  the  Silo  farthest  from  the  door  is 
reached,  commence  at  that  end,  dig  down  to  the  bottom, 
throwing  the  Ensilage  with  a  large  fork  upon  the  plank 
floor,  and,  by  taking  out  vertical  slices,  gradually  work 
back  towards  the  door.  This  floor,  which  is  laid  upon 
the  lower  half,  need  not  be  weighted.  There  is  no  ne- 
cessity for  protecting  the  Ensilage  from  the  air  while  it 
is  being  fed  out,  as  a  fresh  surface  is  exposed  to  the 
atmosphere  each  day ;  and  it  is  so  compact,  that,  if  left 
untouched  for  three  or  four  days  even  in  warm  weather, 
no  injurious  fermentation  can,  or  does,  take  place.  It 
will  be  warm  only  on  the  outer  two  or  three  inches. 
The  finer  it  is  cut  or  shredded,  the  closer  it  will  pack ; 
and  consequently  less  space  will  be  lost  by  settling. 


CHAPTER  XXVI. 

ILLUSTRATING   THE    NUTRITIVE    VALUE    OF    ENSILAGE. 

THAT  it  is  a  highly  nutritious  food  is  proven  by  the 
fact  that  my  cows,  fed  upon  it  during  the  winter,  brought 
me  very  fine,  large,  strong  calves,  —  upon  their  feet  and 
sucking  almost  as  soon  as  dropped.  My  Vermont  Me- 
rino ewes  sheared  upon  an  average  9  pounds  of  wool, 
which  I  sold  for  30  cents  a  pound  at  home.  They  also 
brought  fine,  strong,  vigorous  lambs.  The  lambs  were 
sired,  part  of  them,  by  a  pure  Cotswold  ram,  and  the 
balance  by  a  pure  Oxford  down  ram.  They  weighed, 
when  born,  from  6  to  12^  pounds  each.  Some  of  the 
Merino  ewes  bore  twins  weighing  17^  pounds.  My 
Cotswold  ewes  did  equally  well,  bringing  lambs  weigh- 
ing from  10  to  15^  pounds  each  when  born. 

Some  of  my  Cotswold  ewes  sheared  as  high  as  16 
pounds  of  wool.  The  whole  flock  averaged  1 1  pounds 
7  ounces. 

My  Oxford  downs  averaged  over  12  pounds  of  wool 
each.  The  weight  of  lambs  and  of  fleeces  given  above 
proves  that  no  food  could  be  better  for  sheep.  I  have 
never  seen  young  cattle  and  calves  grow  as  rapidly  in 
summer  upon  good  pasture  as  they  do  in  winter  in  a 
warm  stable  and  fed  upon  Ensilage  and  oil-meal.  The 
mixture  is  easy  to  digest ;  the  animal  does  not  have  to 

133 


134  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

work  for  it ;  there  are  no  flies  to  annoy ;  there  is  noth- 
ing to  do  but  to  grow. 

I  believe  colts  can  be  brought  forward  to  maturity  in 
less  than  two-thirds  of  the  time  required  to  raise  them 
upon  summer  pasture  and  the  usual  winter  food. 

One  thing  I  wish  to  impress  upon  those  who  contem- 
plate building,  and  it  is  this :  build  strongly  and  sub- 
stantially. Silos  are  not  expensive  when  properly  built. 
They  should  be  built  to  last.  The  lateral  pressure  while 
settling  under  the  weight  is  very  great.  A  side-hill  should 
always  be  selected  as  a  site  when  convenient  to  the  sta- 
bles. Let  the  end  opposite  the  door  extend  into  the  hill 
so  that  the  earth  will  come  as  near  as  possible  to  the  top 
of  the  wall.  It  will  be  more  convenient  in  putting  the 
weights  on  and  removing  them.  If  the  side- walls  are 
banked  or  terraced  up  on  the  outside  nearly  or  quite  to 
the  top  of  the  walls,  all  the  better. 

It  will  not  be  necessary  for  every  farmer  to  buy  an 
engine,  or  even  a  cutter.  One  set  of  machinery,  if  suffi- 
ciently powerful,  will  answer  for  three  or  four  neighbor- 
ing farmers.  Parties  who  have  engines  or  horse-power 
for  threshing  can  get  a  powerful  cutter,  and  add  to  their 
season's  business  by  cutting  the  Ensilage  crops,  as  well 
as  threshing  the  grain  for  the  farmers  of  a  neighbor- 
hood. 


CHAPTER  XXVII. 

CHEMISTRY    OF   THE   SILO. 

THAT  important  chemical  changes  take  place  during 
the  curing  of  green  forage  plants  by  the  system  of  Ensi- 
lage cannot  be  doubted.  I  believe  there  is  a  formation 
of  acetic  acid  to  a  greater  or  less  extent  in  all  cases,  and 
that  the  acetic  fermentation  is  the  first  change  which 
takes  place.  There  can  be  no  saccharine  fermentation 
until  after  acetic  fermentation  takes  place.  I  doubt  its 
being  a  saccharine  fermentation  at  all :  it  is  rather  a  trans- 
formation. 

I  understand  the  changes  to  take  place  as  follows : 
the  oxygen  of  the  air  in  the  mass  acting  upon  the  sugar 
in  the  plant  converts  that  sugar  (in  corn  about  1 1  per 
cent)  into  acetic  acid ;  the  acid  acts  upon  the  starch  (in 
corn  about  56  per  cent),  and  converts  it  into  grape- 
sugar,  or  glucose,  in  much  the  same  manner  as  sulphuric 
acid  acts  upon  the  corn  in  the  manufacture  of  glucose. 
The  next  stage  of  fermentation  is  the  conversion  of 
the  grape-sugar,  or  glucose,  into  alcohol,  which,  being 
very  volatile,  passes  off  into  the  atmosphere.  Then,  and 
not  until  then,  does  real  putrid  fermentation  or  decay 
begin.  The  previous  stages  are  metamorphoses  or 
changes  from  one  form  to  another  of  the  elements  of 
nutrition. 

'35 


136  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

If  the  above  is  correct,  the  presence  of  acetic  acid,  or 
sourness,  so  far  from  being1  an  injury,  is  a  positive  bene- 
fit ;  for  without  the  acid  the  starch,  which  is  hard  to  di- 
gest, could  not  be  converted  into  sugar,  which  is  easy  to 
digest. 

In  alluding  to  the  manufacture  of  glucose,  I  am 
brought  to  consider  the  relative  value  of  different  varie- 
ties of  corn.  As  it  matters  but  little  whether  the  corn 
at  the  time  it  is  cut  contains  sugar  or  starch  (chemi- 
cally they  are  almost  identical),  as  the  sugar  which 
exists  in  the  plant  is  converted  into  acetic  acid,  while  the 
starch  is  converted  into  sugar,  it  follows  that  the  variety 
which  will  produce  the  greatest  amount  of  sugar  and 
starch  to  the  acre  is  the  best ;  that  sweet  corn  (which 
has  been  so  highly  extolled  as  a  forage  crop,  and  justly, 
perhaps,  if  fed  fresh  from  the  field)  does  not  produce 
as  much  sugar  and  starch  or  ultimate  sugar,  is  proven  by 
the  fact  that  the  managers  of  glucose  factories  do  not 
recommend  the  planting  of  sweet  corn.  Were  it  other- 
wise, they  would  be  as  particular  about  the  variety  of 
seed-corn  planted  that  it  should  be  sweet  corn,  as  the 
managers  of  beet- sugar  factories  are  that  the  farmers 
who  raise  sugar-beets  for  them  procure  the  seed  from 
them. 

As  a  general  rule,  that  variety  of  corn  which  grows  the 
largest,  which  produces  the  greatest  number  of  tons  to 
the  acre,  is  the  best.  In  some  of  the  Southern  States 
pearl  millet  may  prove  superior  to  corn.  In  Ensilaging 
it,  I  think,  it  would  be  well  to  cut  it  just  before  it  heads. 
In  the  whole  Southern  region  the  field-pea  should  not  be 
overlooked.  It  has  an  excellent  effect  upon  the  soil,  and 
upon  good  land  will  yield  an  enormous  crop.  It  is  a 
plant  which  draws  much  of  its  nourishment  from  the 
atmosphere. 


CHEMISTRY  OF  THE  SILO.  137 

Rape,  I  am  inclined  to  think,  might  prove  a  valuable 
forage  crop,  especially  winter  rape.  It  might  be  sown 
before  the  corn  is  cut,  and  would  doubtless  make  a  heavy 
growth  before  the  hard  frosts.  It  would  shade  and  pro- 
tect the  ground  from  washing,  and  furnish  good  pastur- 
age in  the  fall  for  sheep.  In  the  spring  it  could  be  cut 
and  packed  in  the  Silo,  or  turned  under  as  a  green  ma- 
nure. The  expense  for  seed  would  be  much  less  than 
for  winter  rye  or  oats. 

In  many  sections  the  heavy  crops  of  weeds  which 
grow  upon  fallow  lands  might  be  mowed  before  they 
become  too  hard,  and  packed  in  Silo.  They  would  make 
an  excellent  food  for  sheep  at  least  a  portion  of  the  time. 
If  cut  when  very  green  and  succulent,  they  might  be 
mixed  with  oat  or  even  wheat  straw,  and  thereby  convert 
the  straw  into  a  very  good  quality  of  forage. 


CHAPTER  XXVIII. 

HOW   TO    RAISE   THE    MAXIMUM    CROP   OF    FODDER   CORN. 

A  GREAT  amount  of  labor  is  lost  by  sowing  fodder  corn 
too  thick,  as  well  as  a  large  amount  of  seed  wasted. 
Many  sow  three  bushels  to  the  acre  ;  some  sow  but  two 
bushels ;  and  a  few  sow  but  one.  I  sow  but  one-half 
bushel,  and  my  corn  is  always  too  thick.  The  man  who 
has  raised  the  largest  crop  the  past  season  sowed  but  12 
quarts  of  seed  to  the  acre.  Make  the  drills  at  least  four 
feet  apart,  and  sow  one-half  bushel  of  Mammoth  Ensilage 
seed-corn  to  the  acre  ;  then,  when  it  is  about  a  foot  high, 
thin  it  to  6  and  8  inches  between  stalks,  and  I  can  as- 
sure you,  with  a  good  corn  season,  if  the  land  is  suit- 
able for  corn,  is  well  manured  and  given  frequent  culti- 
vation, a  crop  weighing  from  40  to  75  tons  to  the  acre. 
When  corn  is  planted  too  thick,  those  plants  which 
do  not  attain  their  full  growth  are  nothing  more  than 
weeds.  As  dirt  is  only  matter  out  of  place,  so  a  weed  is 
only  a  plant  out  of  place.  No  plant  is  so  far  out  of 
place  as  when  it  is  crowded  by  other  plants  of  the  same 
kind  so  that  its  growth  is  impaired :  it  then  becomes  a 
mere  weed,  and  only  serves  to  injure  the  growth  of  the 
proper  number  of  plants  in  the  hill  or  drill. 


CHAPTER  XXIX. 

NEW    FORAGE  PLANTS   AND    NEW    USES   FOR    ENSILAGE. 

IN  concluding  this  new  edition,  let  me  urge  all  enter- 
prising farmers  to  try  experiments  in  raising  the  various 
forage  plants ;  especially  let  us  seek  for  a  plant  which 
will  grow  during  the  fall  and  spring  months,  and  yield  a 
crop  approximating  the  yield  of  corn.  There  are  many 
weeds,  biennials,  which  make  their  principal  growth  in 
the  fall  months  of  the  first  season  and  the  early  months 
of  the  second  season,  reaching  their  full  growth  in  sea- 
son to  grow  corn.  They  might  become  very  valuable  to 
grow  upon  light  lands  which  suffer  severely  by  the 
drought  in  the  summer  months.  Why  may  not  hybridi- 
zation do  as  much  to  improve  our  forage  plants  as  it  has 
to  improve  our  vegetables  and  small  fruits,  and  to  clothe 
with  new  beauties  the  common  garden  flowers  of  half  a 
century  ago  ? 

I  believe  that  we  are  upon  the  eve  of  an  entire  change 
in  preserving  not  only  forage  plants  for  our  domestic 
animals,  but  that  the  true  way  to  preserve  herbs  is  to 
gather  them  fresh,  and  press  them  into  tight  jars  or  cans, 
and  hermetically  seal  them ;  also  that  tea  might  and  will 
be  preserved  in  small  sealed  cans  with  all  its  delicate 
flavors  and  aroma  unimpaired  by  exposure  to  the  atmos- 
phere during  the  process  of  curing  by  drying.  To  cure 

'39 


140  THE  BOOK  OF  ENSILAGE. 

tea  properly  is  by  far  the  most  expensive  item  in  tea- 
culture.  It  can  only  be  profitably  raised  where  labor  is 
very  cheap.  The  tea-plant  grows  well  and  flourishes  in 
California,  and  in  many  localities  of  the  South  ;  but  we 
cannot  compete  with  Asiatic  labor  at  4  to  6  cents  per 
day  in  curing  it.  If  it  can  be  preserved  in  jars  or  cans 
in  its  green  state,  so  compacted  as  to  expel  all  the  air, 
and  sealed  so  as  to  prevent  evaporation  and  fermenta- 
tion or  change,  it  is  very  possible  that  the  culture  of  tea 
in  our  own  country  may  become  a  profitable  pursuit  : 
the  product,  too,  may  be  superior.  Herb-tea  is  much 
better  made  with  the  freshly  gathered  plant  than  when 
the  dried  herb  is  used.  I  trust  that  those  who  are 
experimenting  with  the  tea-plant  in  the  South  and  on 
the  Pacific  coast  will  test  the  preservation  of  tea  by  Ensi- 
lage. 


ANY  ADDITIONAL  INFORMATION  WHICH  MAY  RESULT  FROM  MY  EXPERI- 
MENTS, AS  TO  THE  BEST  METHODS  OR  MACHINERY  FOR  ENSILAGING,  WILL 
BE  CHEERFULLY  FURNISHED  UPON  REQUEST,  ENCLOSING  STAMP. 


Bailey's  Patent  Practical  Tree  Trimmer. 

~ 


By  the  use  of  this  new  pruning  implement,  fruit  trees  of  all  kinds  can  be  carefully  and 
symmetrically  p/uned  without  leaving  the  ground.  The  operator  can  see  what  he  is  doing, 
and  prune  three  trees  with  less  labor  and  in  less  time  than  one  can  be  trimmed  with  other 
pruning  implements  which  require  ladders  and  necessitate  climbing.  Limbs  of  any  size  up 
to  two  or  three  inches  cut  with  a  few  blows  of  the  sliding  hammer,  which  the  operator 
grasps  in  one  hand.  Price,  S-2.5O. 

Manufactured  by  the  Remmiugton  Agricultural  Company,  Ilion  N.  Y.,  and  for 
sale  by  all  dealers  in  Agricultural  Implements,  and  by 

JOHN  M,  BAILEY,  "Winning  Farm,"  Billerica,  Mass. 


"MAMMOTH   KNSILAGE" 

(JOHN  M.  BAILEY'S  TRADE  MARK.) 

JSIEIEID    oozEfcnvr 

Will  yield  from  40  to  75  tons  to  the  acre;  is  more  succulent;  contains  more 
sugar,  and  has  more  luxuriant  foliage  than  any  other  variety. 

J.  G.  Walcott,  of  Peabody,  had  Mammoth  Ensilage  fodder  corn  the  past 
season,  from  seed  bought  of  me,  which  yielded  at  the  rate  of  72  tons  to  the 
acre.  Some  of  the  stalks  were  19  feet  6  inches  tall,  and  weighed  over  12  pounds 
each. 

Only  one-half  bushel  required  to  plant  an  acre.  All  report  the  yield  much 
greater  than  with  any  other  kind  of  seed. 

A  large  quantity  of  MAMMOTH  ENSILAGE  SEED  CORN,  expressly  for  ensi- 
lage, price  by  mail  50  cents  per  pound,  three  pounds  $1.00;  by  freight  or  express, 
$1.25  per  half  peck,  $2.00  per  peck,  $3.00  per  half  bushel,  $5.00  per  bushel; 
$4.00  per  bushel  in  lots  of  two  bushels  or  more.  No  charge  for  bags.  Plant 
from  May  20  to  July  10,  in  drills  4  feet  apart.  Manure  heavily. 

I  sold  over  200  bushels  of  Mammoth  Ensilage  Seed  Corn  last  year,  and  al- 
though I  have  raised  the  past  season  over  500  bushels,  those  who  want  Mam- 
moth Ensilage  will  do  well  to  order  soon,  for  at  the  rate  orders  are  coming  in  it 
will  all  be  taken  before  planting  time. 


I  raised  more  from  one  acre  planted  with  Mammoth  Ensilage  than  from  three  acres  of 
Southern  White  —  all  manured  and  cultivated  alike. 

B.  C.  PLATT.  Suffield,  Conn. 

Our  Fodder  Corn  from  your  Mammoth  Ensilage  seed  yielded  a  much  greater  weight 
than  other  kinds. 

J.  C.  POOR,  North  Andover,  Mass. 

The  Mammoth  Ensilage  is  far  superior  to  any  other  kind. 

H.  R.  BARKER,  Lowell,  Mass. 


The  above  are  selected  from  a  large  number  of  testimonials.     Send  for  cir- 
cular and  catalogue. 

JOHN    M.    BAILEY, 

11  Winning  Farm,"  Billerica,  Mass. 

—  OR  — 

** Virginia  Stock  Farm,"  Waver ly,  Sussex  Co.,  Va. 


JOHN   M.   BAILEY, 

4 

BREEDER    OF 

Shorthorn  and  Jersey  Cattle,  Cotswold,  Oxfordshire  Down, 

Vermont   Merino,   Cotswold    Merino,   and 

Oxford   Merino  Sheep. 

The  "  Winning  "  flock  of  Cotswolds  was  formed  by  selecting  all  the  best  sheep  in  the 
Mapleshade  flock,  belonging  to  Joseph  Harris,  Rochester,  N.  Y.  (6  first  premiums  at  New 
England  Fair,  1880.) 

The  Oxfordshire  Downs  are  from  the  flocks  of  John  Treadwell  and  A.  J.  Milton,  Druce, 
England. 

The  "Winning"  Merinos  are  from  the  best  flocks  of  Vermont. 

In  the  Cotswold  and  Oxford  Merino  there  is  to  be  found  the  most  profitable  sheep  for 
mutton  and  wool  in  the  world.  For  full  description  and  history  of  these  crosses  send  for 
illustrated  catalogue.  Mailed  to  all  enquirers. 


A  SPECIALTY  MADE  OF  HIGH  CLASS  BERKSHIRES. 


"WINNING   BELLADONNA," 

(IMPORTED.) 
Winner   of   the   First  Prize  at   Hew   England   Fair,   1880. 

The  "  Winning "  Berkshires  are  all  from  imported  stock,  which  was  bred  by  the  cele- 
brated English  breeders,  Swanwick,  Humfrey,  Stewart,  and  Bailey. 

Pigs  of  all  ages,  with  perfect  pedigrees,  from  $5.00  upwards.  Boars  fit  for  service  and 
Sows  with  pig,  at  reasonable  prices. 

Send  for   Illustrated    Circular  and    Catalogue. 

P.  O.  ADDRESS  : 

"WINNINGS     FARM,"     BILLERICA,    MASS. 


"Virginia  Stock  Parm,"  Waverlv,  Sussex  County,  Va, 


Joseph  Breck  &  Sons 

Are  making  a  Specialty  of  all  MACHINES,  IMPLEMENTS  and  SEEDS 
that  are  especially  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  the  Ensilagist,  and  solicit 
correspondence  on  the  subject. 

The  following  articles  are  almost  indispensable  : 


Is  invaluable 
Cor  cultivation  of  all 

Garden 
and  Field  crops. 


-  ALSO,  - 


The  "Advance"  Chilled  Flow  ad  Thomas'  Pulverizing  and  Smoothing  Harrow, 

For  Preparing  the  Land; 

Pearce's  Improved  Broad-Cast  Seed  Sower,  Albany  Corn  and  Seed  Planter, 

For  Sowing  the  Seed; 

Whitman's  Improved  Railway  Horse  Power, 

For  operating  the  Ensilage  Cutter; 

The    Lightning    Hay   and  Ensilage    Knife, 

For  cutting  down  Ensilage  in  the  silo. 

We  shall  be  happy  to  mail  descriptive  circulars  and  quote  prices  on  any  of  the 
foregoing  articles.  Also,  our  catalogues  of  Garden,  Grass  and  Field  Seed,  and  of 
Machines  and  Implements,  are  valuable  as  text  books,  and  we  furnish  them  free  on 
application. 

Joseph.  Breck  c&  Sons, 

51,  5S  and,  53  JVorth  Jdcur'ket  Street, 

BOSTON,    MASS. 


The  Bullard  Hay  Tedder, 


The  BULLARD  TEDDER  has  outlived  scores  of  experimental 
machines,  and  is  to-day  better  appreciated  than  ever  before.  Many 
different  devices  have  been  brought  forward  for  turning  grass,  but 
nothing  else  has  stood  the  test  of  practical  farming  but  the  crank 
motion  and  the  movement  of  the  forks  that  almost  exactly  reproduces 
the  plunging  swing  of  the  fork  in  the  hands  of  a  brisk  man.  A  glance 
at  the  cut  will  show  that  this  movement  in  the  BULLARD  TEDDER  is 
done  at  the  rear  of  the  machine,  the  end  forks  being  outside  the 
wheels.  Thus  the  wheels  never  run  over  the  tedded  hay.  Every  par- 
ticle of  the  grass  is  lifted,  tossed  and  shaken  out  from  the  bottom 
and  left  light  and  open  to  air  and  sun.  It  will  do  the  work  of  from 
six  to  eight  men,  is  very  light  draft,  and  is  strong  and  durable. 

MANUFACTURED    J)Y 

THE    BJCHAIIDSOIT    MFG.   CO. 

WORCESTER,  MASS. 


THE  STANDARD 


New  Model  Buckeye, 


The  BUCKEYE  has  stood  the  test  of  twenty-five  years,  and  main- 
tains the  place  it  has  earned  as  the  Standard  Machine  of 
America.  These  many  seasons  of  use  have  established  it  as 
the  best  in  its  principle,  and  the  strongest  and  most  durable  in  con- 
struction. It  has  been  kept  up  with  the  times  to  meet  every  demand 
of  the  hay  field,  and  constantly  improved  in  the  direction  of  greater 
simplicity. 

The  New  Model  TSuckeye  is  so  simple  in  its  mechanism 
that  the  most  unskilled  can  use  and  keep  it  in  order.  While  these 
improvements  have  greatly  lightened  and  simplified  the  BUCKEYE,  the 
old  reliable  features  of  strength  and  durability  still. remain. 

MANUFACTURED    BY    THE 

RICHARDSON  MANUFACTURING  Co. 


AVOItOESTEIfc, 


KEMP'S  PATENT 

MANURE   SPREADER 


This  Machine  is  the  most  valuable  invention  ever  offered  to  the 
farmer,  as  it  saves  labor,  does  its  work  better  than  it  can  possibly 
be  done  by  hand,  and  can  be  used  the  season  through  for  any 
purpose  where  a  farm  wagon  is  used. 

It  will  spread  all  kinds  of  Manure,  from  the  roughest  and 
toughest  down  to  the  finest,  including  ashes,  in  all  conditions,  wet  or 
dry,  and  the  time  required  to  spread  a  load  is  from  one  and  a  half  to 
two  minutes,  without  manual  labor. 

It  is  regulated  to  spread  different  quantities  to  the  acre,  so  that 
the  farmer  knows  just  what  amount  of  Manure  he  is  using  per  acre. 

It  has  been  fairly  demonstrated  in  the  past  two  seasons,  from 
experiments  made  by  parties  owning  these  carts,  that  its  use 
increases  the  crop  from  20  to  30  per  cent,  and  that 
Manure  spread  by  this  cart  is  worth  One  Dollar  per  Cord 
more,  owing  to  its  fine  and  even  distribution. 

It  can  be  attached  to  the  Fore  Wheels  of  an  ordinary  Farm 
Wagon. 


MANUFACTURED    BY    THE 

Richardson  Manufacturing  Co., 

WORCESTER,    MASS. 


Fairbanks'  Stuiari  Seal 


R. 


Absolute  Accuracy,    Unvarying  Accuracy,    Sensi- 
tive  Action,    Durability, 

Are  the  necessities  of  a  perfect  Weighing  Machine. 
ALL    THESE    REQUISITES    ARE    TO    BE    FOUND    ONLY    IN 


t 


They  are  made  in  every  variety,  adapted  to  all  uses,  and  with 

EVERY  IMPROVEMENT 

which  the  skill  and  experience  of  a  half-century  in  the  business  can  suggest 
MANUFACTURED    ONLY    BY 

E.    &  T.   FAIRBANKS   &    CO. 

ST.    JOHNSBURY,  VT. 

ALSO, 

Miles'  Alarm  Tills,   or  Safety  Money  Drawers, 

Store  Trucks,  Coffee  Mills,   The  Type 

Writer  and  Lawn  Mowers, 

Mi  SCALES  TOR  EARNS,  OR  THE  YARD,  ALSO  TOR  DAIRY  USE. 

WAREHOUSES  : 

83  Milk  Street,  Boston,     FAIRBANKS,  BROWN  &  CO. 
311  Broadway,  New  York,  FAIRBANKS  &  CO, 


STOCKBEIDGE 

MANURES. 

SEND  FOE  NEW  PAMPHLET.    MAILED  FEEE. 


Seven  years  ago  the  Stockbridge  Manures  were  only  known  to  a  few  farmers 
in  the  Connecticut  Valley.  Now  they  are  so  extensively  used  in  the  Atlantic 
States  as  to  require  two  large  factories,  one  in  Boston  and  one  in  New  York,  to 
manufacture  them.  This  increase  shows  what  farmers  think  of  good  ferti- 
lizers, and  is  not  only  due  to  the  fact  that  they  are  reliable,  well-made,  and 
high-grade  manures,  bat  also  to  the  fact  that  farmers  have  found  them 

PROFITABLE  TO  USE. 

And  now  that  corn  and  other  farm  produce  is  bringing  good  prices,  such  as 
were  seldom  realized  during  the  war,  considering  they  are  now  on  a  gold  basis, 
farmers  will  therefore  find  these  manures  still  more  profitable  to  use. 

ALSO,   MANUFACTURERS  OF 


IDTUB'S  " 


The  Best  and  Cheapest  Sold 

ALSO  FOR  SALE, 

Agricultural  Chemicals,  Ground  Bone,  &c. 

BOWEER  FERTILIZER  CO., 

43  Chatham  Street,  Boston,  or 

3  Park  Place,  New  York. 


WHEELER'S    "ECLIPSE"    WIND-MILL. 


• 


First  Self  Regulat- 
ing Solid  Wheel 
Mill  invented.  Im- 
proved upon  for  13 
years.  Over  8000  in 
use,  and  seen  all 
over  the  Union. 
Adopted  exclusive- 
ly by  over  CO  lead- 
ing Railroads.  Ex- 
port returns  show 
more  Eclipse  Mills 
sent  abroad  than 
all  other  Mills  com- 
bineil.  Received 
the  highest  honors 
at  Philadelphiaand 
Paris.  Obtained  the 
first  premium  at 
the  New  England 
Fair  in  Portland, 
1877,  and  in  Worces- 
ter, 1878  and  1879. 

This  Mill  is  per- 
fectly noiseless 
when  in  operation, 
and  as  nrm  against 
a  storm  as  a  solid 
building.  Can  be 
made  as  ornamen- 
tal as  desired.  With 
each  Mill  full  guar- 
antee of  satisfac- 
tion is  furnished;  if 
it  fails  to  satisfy, 
the  amount  paid 
will  be  refunded. 
We  build  19  differ- 
ent sizes,  according 
to  the  various  pur- 
poses  and  the 
amount  of  work  to 
be  accomplished. 


View  of  the  Eclipse  Wind-Mil  of  James  Vick,  Esq.,  whose  letter  we  gire  below. 

Mr.  L.  H.  WHEELER,  40  Oliver  Street,  Boston:  ROCHESTER,  N.  Y.,  April,  1879. 

Dear  Sir,— Having  had  in  use  one  of  your  16-foot  Wind  Engines  since  1875, 1  can  certify 
to  its  power  and  efficiency.  During  this  time  it  has  never  been  out  of  repair,  and  is 

to-day  in  as  good  working  order  as  when  first  erected. 

While  many  mills  of  other  makes  in  this  vicinity  have  been  wrecked  by  gales,  I  find  the 
Eclipse  perfectly  self  controlling,  and  it  does  not  suffer  the  slightest  injury  from  our  se- 
verest winds.  It  furnishes  a  full  supply  of  water  for  five  Greenhouses,  House,  Stable,  and 
for  irrigating  purposes  for  about  fifteen  acres,  through  which  runs  several  thousand  feet  of 
distributing  pipe.  With  medium  wind  we  raise  twenty  to  thirty  barrels  per  hour,  twenty- 
five  feet  lift.  In  short,  the  working  of  the  mill  is  so  satisfactory  that  no  change  is  desired. 
A  smaller  mill  would  do  our  work,  or  the  one  we  have  would  run  two  such  pumps  as  we  are 
using.  JAS.  VICK. 

Our  geared  wind-mills  are  meeting  the  wants  of  many  who  need  some  power  for  running 
machinery,  sawing  wood,  grinding  grain,  and  cutting  fodder  for  ensilage.  Prices  range 
from  $70  to  $1500. 

Below  we  give  the  names  of  a  few  of  our  patrons  who  are  well  known  to  the  public: 

Dr.  Dio  LKWIS,         Arlington  Heights. 
C.  H.  FJJSK,  Stony  Brook. 

Dr.  CHARLES  CULLIS,  Walpole. 

W.  HKUSTIS,  Belmont. 

W.  CHKNERY, 
C.  FAIRCHILD, 

H.  SAWYER,  Concord. 

BATES  ESTATE,  Watertown. 

JOHN  CASSJDY, 

LAMON  &  SONS,  Nantasket. 

FRANK  JONES,  Portsmouth. 

E.   II.    WlNCHKSTKR, 

PIERCK  ESTATE, 


Saxouville. 


STATE  NORMAL  SCHOOL,  Framingham. 

JORDAN,  MARSH  &  Co 

RICHARD  NELSON, 

W.  S.  PHELPS, 

WM.  H.  WRIGHT, 

W.  H.  SIMPSON, 

LUTHER  FULLER, 

LEE  HAMMOND, 

HARVEY  D.  PARKER, 

WM.  E.  BAKER, 

G.  W.  HOLLIS. 

A.  D.  PHILBIUCK, 

J.  H.  CLAPP, 

J.  M.  BRANT, 

JOHN  LANE, 

JAMES  ALLEN, 

JAMES  S.  EDWARDS, 


Wellesley. 

Grantville. 

Newton. 

Weymouth. 


Bridge  water. 


Quincy. 


T)r.  PlLLSBURY,  Lowell. 

R.  H.  BARKER, 

J.  WARKKN  MERRILL,  Boston. 

G.  D.  OILMAN, 


We  have  given  the  above  names  for  reference,   There  are  hundreds  of  these  Mills  in  New  England. 

For  full  particulars  and  Circulars,  apply  to  L,  H.  WHEELER,  40  Oliver  St.,  Boston,  Mass. 


American  Sin  Mainfg  Co, 

Manufacturers  of  Power  and  Hand 

HORSE  CLIPPING  MACHINES, 

,    IV. 


ALSO,    THK 

ONLY  RELIABLE  AND  SUCCESSFUL 

Sheep  Shearing  Machine 

That  has  ever  been  put  upon  the  market. 


NO    ROYALTY. 


The  Centennial  Award  was  given  at  Phila- 
delphia Exposition, 

AND   AT 

State  Fairs  when   Exhibited. 


No.  5  Hand  Iloree  Clipper. 


oooijinrsr 


Gold  Medal,  Paris,  1879.  Butter  made  by  this  process 
awarded  Sweepstakes  at  International  Dairy  Fair,  1878,  and  Gold 
Medal  and  First  Premium  at  the  same  fair,  1879  ;  First  Premium 
at  Royal  Agricultural  Exhibition,  London,  1879. 

It  requires  no  milk-room;  it  raises  all  of  cream  between  milkings; 
it  affords  better  ventilation;  it  requires  less  labor;  it  is  more  thor- 
oughly made;  it  is  cheaper,  and  gives  better  satisfaction  than  any 
other  way  of  setting  milk.  The  Butter  made  by  this  system  is  unex- 
celled in  its  keeping  qualities. 

Over  eight  thousand  of  these  Creamers  are  now  in  use,  and  give 
the  best  of  satisfaction.  The  best  dairymen  of  the  country  use  and 
recommend  them,  including  Ogden  Farm,  Newport,  R.  I.,  Echo 
Farm,  Litchfield,  Conn.,  Winning  Farm,  Billerica,  Mass.,  Lawrence 
Farm,  ftroton,  Mass.,  T.  S.  Cooper,  Coopersburg,  Penn.,  Hiram 
Smith,  Sheboygan  Falls,  Wisconsin,  Holley  Grove  Farm,  Plaiufield,  N.  J.,  and  many  others. 


DAVIS    SWING   CHURN. 

Aivarded  first  Prmiiuin  over  all  competitors  at  only  prac- 
tical test  ever  held  at  International  Dairy  Fair.  The  box  contains 
no  floats  or  inside  gear,  which  mash  the  butter-globules;  no  corners 
in  which  the  cream  can  lodge  to  be  washed  into  the  buttermilk  and 
lost  when  the  butter  separates.  The  butter  gathers  in  beautiful 
granules,  in  the  best  possible  condition  for  washing  in  the  churn 
with  cold  water  and  brine.  This  Churn  needs  only  to  be  seen  to  be 
appreciated.  Is  easiest  to  work;  easiest  to  clean.  Sales  are  increas- 
ing fast  where  they  have  been  introduced. 

MANUFACTURED    BY 

THE  VERMONT  FARM  MACHINE  CO.,  Bellows  Falls,  Vt. 

Illustrated  Circulars  sent  on  application. 


I  C  r.I?  O 


GR4IN  DRILL. 


For   Sowing  Wheat,   Rye,  Oats,   Barley  or   Peas   in 
Fallow  Ground  or  between  Standing  Corn. 


[anufactured   by    EWALD    OVER,    Indianapolis,    Ind, 


PRICE,   $25.00 


It  sows  five  drills  at  the  same  time.  The  two  outer  hoes  on  each  side  are 
placed  on  two  swinging  wings  of  the  frame,  which,  by  means  of  the  lever 
between  the  handles,  can  be  expanded  and  contracted  to  suit  the  different 
widths  wanted.  The  distance  between  outer  teeth  at  greatest  contraction  is 
27  inches,  and  at  greatest  expansion,  34  inches. 

This  implement  ought  to  be  in  the  hands  of  every  fanner  in  the  land. 
Although  owners  of  large  tracts  of  land  may  be  compelled  to  use  the  two-horse 
drills,  still  they  can  use  it  for  sowing  wheat  or  rye  in  standing  corn.  Fanners 
who  have  but  few  acres  to  sow,  can  use  this  implement  and  save  thereby  the- 
expense  of  a  two-horse  drill,  and  get  all  the  advantages  of  drilling  over  broad- 
casting. Extra  cups  furnished  to  sow  peas,  beans  or  corn,  if  desired.  Its  weight 
is  only  125  pounds,  making  it  an  easy  draft  for  one  horse.  By  closing  up  the- 
intermediate  holes  you  can  sow  three  drills  from  13^  to  17  inches  apart.  From 

1  to  1$  bushels  of  seed  sowed  to  the  acre,  and  as  good  a  stand  secured  as  when 

2  bushels  are  sowed  by  hand.     37£  to  50  per  cent,  in  amount  of  seed  saved,  which 
will  pay  for  the  machine  every  20  or  25  acres  sowed,  a  better  crop  secured,  and 
much  labor  saved.     Orders  from  parties  in  New  England  may  be  addressed  to 

JOHN    B.   BAILEY, 


They  will  receive  prompt  attention,  and  save  freight  charges. 


IMPROVED     BALDWIN'S 

Fodder    Cutter, 


Especially  adapted  for  Ensilage, 

With  a  one  or  two  horse  tread  power,  or  a  small 
engine  to  drive  it,  25  to  50  tons  green  corn  fodder,  or 
50  to  100  tons  Hungarian,  Rye,  or  similar  green  forage 
crop,  can  be  easily  cut  of  suitable  length  for  the  pur- 
pose of  ensilage  in.  one  day. 


The  above  cut  represents  one  of  the  smaller  sizes  of  the  Improved  Baldwin  Fodder  Cutter. 
Before  the  great  demand  was  created  for  ensilage  cutters  in  1880,  this  machine  was  known  for 
many  years  as  the  best  cutter  in  the  world  for  cutting  hay,  dry  corn  fodder,  paper,  rags,  etc., 
and  our  claim  that  it  would  prove  the  best  ensilage  cutter  has  been  thoroughly  sustained  by 
the  entire  satisfaction  it  has  given  the  hundreds  of  persons  who  have  used  these  machines 
forlhis  purpose.  Wo  give  below  a  few  of  the  many  testimonials  we  have  received  from 
parties  using  them  for  cutting  ensilage. 

WEYMOUTH,  MASS.,  October  15, 1880. 

The  "  Baldwin  Hay  Cutter, "  No.  15,  purchased  of  you,  is  all  that  I  could  wish.  I  used  it 
in  cutting  heavy  corn  fodder  for  ensilage:  it  performed  the  work  well  and  rapidly,  cutting 
two  tons  per  hour,  so  fast  that  it  required  two  men  to  feed  it.  I  can  recommend  it  to  any 
one  desirous  of  having  a  good  cutter.  Very  truly  yours,  F.  E.  LOUD. 

HALLO-WELL,  ME.,  October  15, 1880. 

The  Baldwin  Fodder  Cutter  gives  me  entire  satisfaction.    I  believe  it  is  the  best  fodder 
cutter  in  use.  Yours  truly,  J.  R.  BOD  WELL. 

•  These  machines  are  built  of  the  best  materials,  and  in  the  most  thorough  manner,  and 
are  of  great  strength,  simplicity  and  durability.  Each  cutter  that  is  arranged  for  power  ia 
supplied  with  the  patent  safety  fly  wheel,  by  which  entire  safety  is  secured  to  operators  and 
machine  when  in  operation.  Descriptive  circulars  mailed  on  application. 

Manufactured  for  and  for  sale  by 

JOSEFS  BE.EC2S  <ft  SONS, 

51,  52,  and  53  North  Market  St.,    -  -  -  -     Boston,  Mass. 


Joseph  Breck  &  Sons 

Are  making  a  Specialty  of  all  MACHINES,  IMPLEMENTS  and  SEEDS 
that  are  especially  adapted  to  the  requirements  of  the  Ensilagist,  and  solicit 
correspondence  on  the  subject. 

The  following  articles  are  almost  indispensable  : 


Is  invaluable 
for  cultivation  of  all 

Oarden 
and  Field  crops. 


ALSO, 


The  "Advance"  Chilled  Flow  and  Thomas'  Pulverizing  and  Smoothing  Harrow, 

For  Preparing  the  Land; 

Pearce's  Improved  Broad-Cast  Seed  Sower,  Albany  Corn  and  Seed  Planter, 

For  Sowing  the  Seed; 

Whitman's  Improved  Railway  Horse  Power, 

For  operating  the  Ensilage  Cutter; 

The    Lightning    Hay   and  Ensilage    Knife, 

For  cutting  down  Ensilage  in  the  silo. 

We  shall  be  happy  to  mail  descriptive  circulars  and  quote  prices  on  any  of  the 
foregoing  articles.  Also,  our  catalogues  of  Garden,  Grass  and  Field  Seed,  and  of 
Machines  and  Implements,  are  valuable  as  text  books,  and  we  furnish  them  free  on 
application. 


Joseph.  Breck  &  Sons, 

51,  5£  cLnd  53  JVorth  JWcurket  Street, 
BOSTON,   MASS. 


Ensilage  Cutter. 

( Trade  Mark  of  the  N.  T.  Plow  Company. ) 

Combines  great  rapidity  with  strength,  durability  and  simplicity  of  parts. 
It  has  four  spiral  knives  of  heavy  cast  steel.  The  length  of  cut  is  easily 
changed.  The  two  rollers  open  both  parallel  and  obliquely,  and  cannot  be 
clogged.  The  cylinder  revolves  without  jar,  and  cuts  with  exactness.  The 
mouthpiece  is  of  hard  steel,  with  its  cutting  edge  planed,  and  the  knives  cut 
upward,  which  is  essential  to  safety.  It  has  tight  and  loose  belt  pulleys  and 
babbitted  boxes. 

We  have  made  a  special  study  of  Cutters  for  Ensilage,  and  claim  to  know 
about  them. 

No.  1.— Length  of  knives,  12  inches.     Length  of  cut,  4-10,  8-10  in. 

Price, $75.00 

No.  2. —  Length  of  knives,  15  inches.  Length  of  cut,  3-10, 4-10,  5-10, 
7-10  in.  Diam.  pulleys,  22  in.  Weight  of  balance  wheel 
150  Ibs.  Will  cut  2  tons  dry  or  4  tons  green  stalks  per  hour. 
Price, 125.00 

No  3.— Length  of  knives,  18  inches.  Length  of  cut,  2-10,  4-10, 6-10, 
8-10,  1  2-10  in.  Weight  of  balance  wheel,  400  Ibs.  Diam. 
pulleys,  26  in.  Will  cut  4  tons  dry  or  8  tons  green  stalks 
per  hour.  This  cutter  is  now  in  use  by  the  largest  ensilagist 
in  the  United  States.  Price, 250.00 

Extra  for  Elevator, 15.00 

Smaller  Cutters  for  power, $25.00  and  60.00 

"  "        "     hand, :...  .$7.00,  $9.00,  $15.00,  $20.00  and  35.00 

MANUFACTURED   BY 

THE  NEW  YORK  PLOW  COMPANY 

55  Beekman  St.,  New  York. 

WE    ALSO    MANUFACTURE 

Adamant  (Hard  Metal)  Plows,  and  all  other  kinds  of  New 

York  and  Boston  Plows,  and  repairs  for  same,  Strong 

Sub-Soil    Plows,   Corn   and    Cabbage    Plows,    Hilling 

Cultivators,   Disk    Harrows,  Corn   Planters,   Field 

and  Oarden  Rollers,  Corn  Stalk  Mowers  and 

Droppers,  Corn  Sliellers,  Root  Cutters,  Cider 

Mills,  Copper  Strip  Feed  Cutters,  Lawn 

Mowers,    Press   Screws   and 

Manure  Spreaders. 


CIRCULARS    FREE    AND    CORRESPONDENCE    SOLICITED. 


T.  B.  HTJSSEY, 


MANUFACTURER    OF 


AND 

CULTIVATING  I 


T.  B.  HUSSEY, 

Manufacturer  of 

Agricultural  Implements 
No.  Berwick,  Me. 


HUSSEY'S  NEW  HORSE  HOB 

AND 

CULTIVATOR  COMBINED. 

THE 
CENTENNIAL    IMPROVED. 

WITH 

Five  Steel  Teeth, 

AND 

Two  Steel  Mould- 
boardo. 


The  Economizer  Portable  Engine. 


IB  the  most  com- 
plete, simple,  dura- 
ble, and  economical 
Steam  Engine,  for 
Farm  and  Agricultu- 
ral purposes,  known. 

Over  rix  hundred 
now  in  use. 


All  its  parts  aro  ac- 
cessible for  cleaning. 
Its  boiler  has  no  dan- 
gerous crown-sheet, 
therefore  can  be  op- 
erated with  inexperi- 
enced help. 

Send  for  illustrated 
circular  and  prices. 


S.  L.  HOLT  &  CO., 

No.    67    Sndbiary    Street,    Boston. 


GENERAL  LIBRARY 
UNIVERSITY  OF  CALIFORNIA— BERKELEY 

RETURN  TO  DESK  FROM  WHICH  BORROWED 

This  book  is  due  on  the  last  date  stamped  below,  or  on  the 

date  to  which  renewed. 
Renewed  books  are  subject  to  immediate  recall. 


OCT  3  0 1955 


21-100m-l,'54(1887sl6)476 


